The Uprising
by Schizo13
Summary: AU, COMPLETE An old threat is rising and the tamers are reunited again. Will their power and love be strong enough to withstand death? Or will one death lead to another? TakatoxHenry yaoi don't like don't read! review, please!
1. The Find

A/N: This is an AU fic. I do not own Digimon and I never will. If I did, that would be the end of Digimon. Ok, no really. Forget it. I have no humor at all. 

Let's see, please r&r and please don't flame me. I'll remove all flamers. I would love some constructive criticism however. Let's get on with the fic. Oh, and some of the characters won't exist. Their ages are twisted, I know. This is an AU fic afterall. There will also be no Digimon. Only the Tamers.

Ryo-17

Rika-16

Juri-15

Takato-15

Kenta-15

Kazu-15

Henry-14

Note: All the ages are in human ages. If you want to find out their real ages (ages in my fic, that is). Multiply by 1000. Duh

//…\\- Character thoughts.

(…)-A/N

Chapter 1~ Rika's POV (errr, I suck at this so it somewhat seems as though the POV isn't really the POV.)

It was a dark and stormy night. I sighed as I looked out the window and into the darkness of the night. 

"Oh, I wish how I could be out there in the cooling rain, lightning, and winds!" I said as I sighed again. In truth, I am a water witch, but nobody knew this for if someone did, my secret would most likely leak out into the world, and I would be hunted down and killed, as even now, witches are still feared.

"Rika, it's dinner time!" my mother called from the bottom of the steps.

"I'm not hungry, mother." I replied moodily. Sometimes, just sometimes, I would wish that people knew my secret and would appreciate and like me still. Then again, not many people know or like me. However, most of all, I wish that there was another witch or warlock or a mystical creature out there, like me. The last time I had known some was over 1,000 years ago, and those mystical creatures and warlock had been killed. Or so said the rumors. The rumors had been about several witch hunters who had caught and killed a mystical creature. I feared it had been my friend, Henry. The other rumors were about other warlocks and mystical creatures found dead, in the massacre. Then again, my friends might have gotten away.

Henry was a kind and gentle soul, with bottomless silver eyes and a gentle and knowing voice. Henry had long and thin arms and legs, which were a great contribution to his mystic life. His hands were slim and artistic. Those hands were capable of anything! Whatever instrument he touched and played, no matter how old or ragged, the most beautiful music would always pour forth, telling an enchanting story, whether it be sad or happy. When he painted or write, the most beautiful artwork and composition would spring to life. No matter what Henry did, the greatest of things would come to life.

"I miss him so much! If only he were here with me today…we would romp in the rain, splashing and throwing lightning at each other! That was fun to do, but now, it seems so lifeless and boring without him…" It reminded me of Shakespeare's play about Romeo and Juliet. Although Henry and I are no Romeo and Juliet, it was a twisted version of two best friends being torn apart. Well, almost that way. However, I loved someone else and Henry loved someone else. Unfortunately, I don't know what had happened to our loves. Then, with my acute hearing, I heard the sounds of a fight, starting in an alley a couple blocks down. Without a second thought, I leaped out of my open window and off into the darkness.

~Alley a couple blocks down~ Henry's POV

"Well well, what do we have here? Hmmm, looks like a street rat that needs to be taught a lesson! Isn't that right, boys." Sneered a vicious looking thug. Henry crouched, narrowing his glowing silver eyes and calculating the odds of him winning this fight, without using any of his powers. Of course, he had the upper hand since he was faster, stronger, and of course, the best in fighting, but since it had been such a long time since he last had some nourishment, he would have some problems. However, this thug just happened to be big with no brains and all muscle, so therefore, Henry wouldn't have much of a problem. Now, on the other hand, the henchmen would be a problem. They were smaller in stature and size, but they apparently had the brains, which the boss did not have.

//Oh well, I can deal. What else can I do? Running obviously is not an option \\ 

"Obviously, you are the leader. Impressive, but not impressive enough." I smirked and then my expression was immediately replaced with a deadly calm and focused look. The thug didn't even know what hit him. One minute, I was smirking, and the second, the thug was out cold. It's good to be me, sometimes.

"Who's next?" I challenged, "Or are you all chicken?" The remaining henchmen scowled and attacked. They all attacked me from different angles and with different attacks, therefore requiring me to use different defenses all at once, while trying to fend of all the attacks.

//Yes, I was correct. The henchmen are most definitely the greater enemy. I might just have to use my power if they keep on coming at me all at once \\ 

"What do you think you street bums are doing!?" whispered a soft yet piercing voice. A female voice, that is. 

"Stay out of this, wench. It doesn't involve you." snarled one of my attackers.

"Yes it does, especially if you are attacking one of my friends, jerks." snapped the female angrily. I didn't even look up. I was very grateful to my savior and would have looked up when she said 'friend', but I was too busy trying to catch my breath. As my vision swam before me, I felt the pressure on my arm lifted and heard my captor say, "What did you call us? You'll regret that you've ever been born! Attack her!"

//Foolish mortal, he's letting his anger get the better of him. That will be his downfall. Who is this female anyway? She seems to be putting up a very good fight. Wait a minute, I remember that voice and I remember that fighting style! \\ I had looked up and through my rapidly fading vision, I had seen a teenage girl, some years older than me, fighting with a very recognizable fighting style. She had an offensive style, giving no mercy and ruthlessly beating her opponents up. The girl was also frighteningly familiar, long strawberry brown hair, blazing violet eyes, and a tall slim body. 

//It can't be! I mean, she died, didn't she? Then again, nobody ever found her body… Then it must be, it just has to be…\\

~Rika's POV~

"What do you think you street bums are doing!?" I whispered in my ready-to-kill voice. When I reached the alley, I immediately recognized the now starved, painfully thin, and tall form of my best friend. He was alive! Henry was still alive! I couldn't believe it. However, this was not a good time to rejoice. I had to deal with Henry's attackers first. 

"Stay out of this, wench. It doesn't involve you." snarled one of the jerks. Inwardly, I was fuming with anger and hate, but I wisely did not let that show. I retained a calm and focused state of mind. After all, Henry did say that if you let your anger guide you, your anger will most likely lead you to your downfall. Only in the most desperate of times should you count on your anger to save you. Unfortunately, this was not the time so I was stuck.

"Yes it does, especially if you are attacking one of my friends, jerks." I snapped. Henry didn't even look up. I became really concerned. What had happened to Henry to make him look so starved and weak? I mean, Henry would have been able to defeat and/or kill thousands of morals and/or immortals in less than a minute, so why was he not able to defeat these MORTALS!? That was so unlike him. 

"What did you call us? You'll regret that you've ever been born! Attack her!" Oh great, what a foolish mortal. He's attacking with his anger. That will be his downfall. I'm going to have some fun.

"Oooo…"

"Man, who is this girl? She fights like…umph!" 

While I was beating the hell out of the thugs, I noticed Henry look up with pain-filled eyes. At first, he didn't seem to recognize me, but how could that be? My concentration almost faltered. Henry always had the quickest and brightest mind of all the immortals, so what was wrong now? As soon as I'm done with these jerks, I'll have to do a mind and body probe on him. Oh how I wish I could use my powers! Well, maybe I can do a scan, and see if I can kill them or not. I'm evil, am I not? Well, not totally evil…but still evil.

//Let's see, oh man, damn it. I thought the massacre finished these evildoers a long time ago! I mean, all the survivors were all caught and killed by the witch hunters, right? Right? Oh shit…never mind \\

"Hydro spear!" I had no choice. I had to use my power.

"This wench is a witch!!! BE CAREFUL!!!" screamed a just newly dead guy. Well, he wasn't dead when he screamed that, but you get my point. Now, for the other two thugs.

"Ice crystals!" Hmm, that finished them off pretty quickly. I should have done a power check when I scanned them. Oh well, that's ok. Turning to face Henry, I noticed that he was pulsing a silver/black color. He was HEALING himself! Nobody could do that! Only the most powerful immortal could do that! Was this really Henry? Or is he some Henry look-a-like? 

R&R PLEASE!!!

A/N: Ok, that's all I have for now, but I promise that more will come! So, please just read it! Oh, it might seem somewhat sloppy. I spent like several hours on this thing while at my aunts' house. I was bored beyond belief.


	2. The Reunion

A/N: Wow, I had thought that I would not get any reviews! Hirota, huh. Hmmm, I could try that… Yeah, sure, why not? However, neither one of them are actually going to appear until the next chapter. There will be a mention of those two though. Hehe Thanks for reviewing, people! I have also changed something if you don't catch it while you're reading this. You'll find out in the character profiles. Oh, and thank you so much for the reviews! Again, please r&r

Kathleen: Thanks for the constructive criticism! I loved it. I will try to do better but I was never good at language arts. It was never my strong point. *sighs* Thanks for pointing out my repetitive wording and the "I" and "she" thing. I didn't catch that. *grin* All I caught was that I suck at doing first person view or w/e that is called. 

DigiAgumon: Thanks! Takato a dragon? Great idea! I needed some ideas for my fic. Muahahaha Takato is going to make a very nice dragon. *evil smirk* OK, I promise I will not make him into a complete dork. I was just kidding, although the dragon is a great idea. I'll use it!

Guardian: I'm sorry I didn't post up sooner. It's hard doing so many things at a time! OK, you probably don't know what I'm talking about. It's all ok though. Thanks! 

Kristina: Sorry I didn't do the capitalization thing. *frown* I'm very busy. Yes, yes, I'll change it. Thanks To answer your questions, wouldn't you be afraid if you were confronted with a magical creature that could kill you if it wanted to? OK, maybe not. But still…

:): I don't why you had to choose a smiley face as your name, but still, couldn't you have chosen something better? (Don't worry peoples, I know this person _extremely _well.)

Angel Reaper: Thank you very much. Since you brought it up, the title means that I need suggestions for one. Got any ideas? For that matter, do any of you have any ideas?

Fluffy-chan: luv yah too, girl. Thank you so much for reading my fic! I really appreciate it. *snarls and starts throwing things around* I know! On my computer, it's very well spaced, but on fan-fiction.net, well, you know how it is.

DISCLAIMER: I had it in the first chapter. I believe I do not need to write it again. However, just for safety measures, I DO NOT OWN DIGIMON!!! YOU KNOW VERY WELL WHO DOES AND IT IS DEFINITELY NOT ME. Have a nice day. ^_-

Ryo- Warlock

Rika- Witch

Henry- Elf/DarkLightAngel (muahahaha I'm obsessed with angels as you can tell, particularly dark angels. I'll explain more later…If I remember to…And if I know what to explain…)

Takato- Dragon

Juri- Faerie (well, duh. Juri is one of those naïve and innocent kind of people.)

Kazu- Dwarf (Don't ask why)

Kenta- Mountain fey (They're kind of like elves, but not quite. Do Not ask me to explain, please? I could have made him an ogre, but I don't think Kenta fans would be too happy about that.)

//…\\- Character thoughts

(…)- A/N

*…*- Character actions

Now, on with the fic. ^_^

Chapter 2~ Henry's POV

The girl really was her. I mean, my rescuer. She really was Rika! It is unbelievable. For several hundred years, I thought I was the only one left. I never found out what had happened to my friends. I had thought they had all died in the massacre or had been caught by the witch hunters. Then, I found Juri, Kenta, Kazu, Ryo, and Takato. They were all tired, but they were ok. It was so great seeing Takato again! Well, it was also good to see the others, but Takato and I…We had loved each other.

'Witch hunter' is a funny name. After all, the witch hunters catch all kinds of mystical creatures, not only witches and warlocks.

//WONG!!! GET YOUR MIND BACK ON TRACK!!! THIS IS NO TIME TO TALK ABOUT MISNAMED THINGS!!! YOU HAVE MORE THINGS TO WORRY ABOUT!!! \\

Ah, shit. Apparently, I'm in worse condition than I thought I was in if my mind can wander off the subject like that. No time to think about that though. I've got to concentrate on healing myself!

Rika's POV

Argh! I am so sure that this, this _guy_ healing himself is Henry! Then again, Henry did not know how to heal himself. Sure, he was an elf, but still. He did not know how to heal himself. What had happened to everybody? Wait a minute. I think I know. My kind had some half-breeds. Or, the place I used to live. However, nobody liked half-breeds. Very few people did. They thought that half-breeds were freaks.

Of all my close friends though, Henry was the only half-breed, but none of us knew what his other half was. He would not tell us. Me, I'm an ice/water type witch, but water is my main power. Henry, well, we never knew what his powers centered on, but my close friends, Juri, Kenta, Kazu, Ryo, and Takato always said that Henry's power somewhat revolved around everything. However, his strong points seemed to be darkness and light… 

Juri's is or was an Earth/Healing type faerie. Kenta's is, or was Wood/Stone type of fey. He was a very strange boy. Kazu's was, better to stick to was now, Ore/Metal (I think that's the same thing, but I am not going to consult my homework to correct it) type of dwarf. Takato, ah Takato. He was goggle head and Henry's boyfriend. They made such a sweet couple. I never liked Takato much though. He was too dense, in my opinion that is. Now, I miss him and wish I could talk to him… Takato is a dragon. Therefore, his powers are based on Fire/Ice. Strange combo, isn't it? 

Ryo, ha. He never could stop bugging me. *smirk* Always had a crush on me, but unfortunately for him and fortunately for me, I loved someone else with all my heart. I miss her so much… Juri was the light of my life… There I go again, I'm getting sappy. Well, Ryo was a warlock, like me. His powers centered on Wind/Lightning. You don't want him to get angry with you for sure. He'll fry you in less than a second. 

However, you would never know that we were Mystics. We all have our true form, a fake form, and a human form. Currently, all who were alive should be in their human form. Like Henry and I. That's why if you look at someone, you'll immediately think them human, even if they were a dragon. 

Great, I'm straying off the topic. It's so hard to keep my mind on Henry! After seeing him, he's bringing all these memories of the past… 

//Wait a minute. If Henry's still alive and here, then he might know what happened to the others! He might even know where Juri is! Alright Makino, all you have to do is ask. Wait, what if this Henry isn't Henry at all? Grrr This will be the second time I have used my power, but this is important... IT'S REALLY HENRY!!! \\

Henry's POV

Phew, this is taking longer than I thought. Ah finally, finished. Hmm, Ruki looks like as if she is lost in memories, which she probably is. Seeing me must have really hit her hard. After all, it has been 1,000 years since we last saw each other. In addition, seeing me must have even a bigger effect. It's time to snap her out of it, although she looks so happy and forlorn…Nevermind, she just snapped out of it herself.

"Ruki?" I questioned quietly. I still wasn't sure if she was happy or sad to see me. Hell, I don't even know how I feel. Actually, I feel somewhat happy and surprised, although at the same time, I felt worried and nervous.

"Henry! Thank god, you're still alive!" (I did tell you that the characters are OOC, right? If not, I'm telling you now.) Cried Ruki, happily. 

//Whew! She is glad to see me! Now Wong, tell her what she wants to know. I mean, she does deserve the right to know that everybody is ok \\

"Obviously, I am alive. Gods Ruki! I've missed you so much! I have so many things to tell you. However, some of it you might not like." I replied with first, dry humor, then happiness, and finally in a somber way.

"Are the others OK? Is Juri OK? Hell, are goggle-head, the lame-o duo, and ego-boy OK? Are YOU OK? And what's the bad news? Oh, and what are you doing here?" Ruki questioned frantically. She then grabbed my shoulders and started to shake me. Obviously, she wasn't done yet. I wonder what I did wrong for her to shake me like that? She is giving me one hell of a headache! "Don't tell me that the Evils are still alive and gathering. In fact, don't even tell me if He is still alive."

"Ok, then I won't. However, everybody is fine. Tired, but unhurt. They are living in an abandoned warehouse a couple blocks down. Juri is perfectly OK, but she misses you so much. Takato also misses you and told me to tell you, if I found you, that he misses you calling him goggle-head. Kenta and Kazu also miss you, but wants you to know that they are no longer your lame-o duo. However, that facts remains to be proven. Ryo, he's ok but I haven't actually seen him yet. I'm fine, but how are you? You're the one who fought those guys. I won't tell you the bad news as you have already figured it out. I take it you scanned my attackers and found out who the really are? Oh, and I'm here because I was foraging for food and looking for you." 

"That's wonderful! How would you know about Ryo? Nevermind, don't answer that. I'll figure that one out sooner or later. Foraging for food? You guys must be starving. I take it that you keep on giving them most of the food and barely eating, correct? I'm fine and yes, I scanned them. So, the Evils are still alive, hmm? Well, screw them. I want to see Juri! Oh, before I forget. Have the lame-o duo hooked up yet?"

I grinned. "Yes, they have. I'll take you to see Juri and the others. I believe Kazu and Kenta would like to tell you themselves how they hooked up. It is an interesting tale, but long. Umm, yeah, we're hungry but the others aren't too hungry."

Ruki scowled and did not reply for a few minutes. Then, "Oh great. I don't think I really want to know what they are going to tell me. By the way, Wong, you had better tell me the truth. Have you or have you not been giving the others your food without them knowing it? And if they are so well fed, why didn't they come instead of you?"

"Don't worry, Ruki. It's ok. Trust me. I'm out because although malnourished, I'm still the strongest out of all of them. I've also done this before. Foraging for food, I mean. One more thing, Kazu and Kenta's tale would be most entertaining. I had to listen to it after all. Then again, don't let them tell you. It has been exaggerated so much that you don't want to hear it. Come on, let's go. I'll fill you in on everything else once we get back to the warehouse. The others will be worried."

Still scowling, Ruki went into her house to tell her mom that she was going to visit a friend's house. I wondered what was taking her so long when she came out of the house with two grocery bags filled with food.

//How on earth did Ruki manage to get that much food out of the house without her mother noticing? \\

Upon seeing my look, Ruki scowled even more. "Don't give me that look, Wong. I know what you're thinking of. My mom just thinks I'm taking this to Goodwill with my 'friend'." I thought it wise to not say anything. Instead, I just started walking towards the warehouse. 

//The circle is almost complete. There is only one more person, Ryo. Then we can rise up and hopefully, save the world from the Evils once more…\\

A/N: Haha, I was trying to make a cliffhanger, but I don't seem to be doing a good job of it. The third chapter will reveal more, I promise. The chapter will even explain the massacre and the war fought between Good and Evil mystical creatures. From now on, when I say 'mystical creatures' I include witches and warlocks within that category. Now, please take this question and answer thing:

1) Who should the POV be in next?

Juri Takato Ryo (if you choose him, the next chapter probably will not be up for awhile.) Rika 

2) Do you have any suggestions for a title?

3) Should Ryo have a soul mate like the others? (ex. Takalee, Rika/Juri, Hirota)

yes no 

4) Should I add Digimon in? (Note: the Digimon would be in the wars, but not in the main story or not in the upraising war.)

yes no 

5) Do I need a muse?

yes no 

6) What the hell is a muse?

Again, please r&r and answer the question thing! 


	3. The Gathering

(A/N): I have decided to do both Takato's and Juri's POV. Ryo will not have a soul mate since the majority of the reviewers either don't know or doesn't like him. Sorry to those who like Ryo! There will be no Digimon. If there was, I'll have even a harder time thinking it up as it is. Hmm, I think I'll have a muse. I know, I know, they can be annoying. That is why I only have one. *smirk* You want to meet him? Muahahahaha you have no choice! Say hi to Shadow-chan!

Shadow-chan: hn

Angel: Be nice!

Shadow: In your dreams, idiot!

Angel: You're no help at all

Shadow: What did you think when you made me?

^_^' OK, forget him. Why do you think his name is like that? He hasn't been helping me lately so I threatened to make him wear hot pink. *smirk* Let's just say that he shut up instantly. That's why he is so mad at me, right now. Thanks for the reviews!

Sakura: Thanks! How mean Bakura is! Luckily, Shadow hasn't done anything to me. Shadow: Yet… OK, I'll ignore that.

Kathleen: Hey again! OVER 500 MUSES?!? You must be insane… If I had that many, I'd probably kill all but one. Shadow is giving me enough trouble as it is!

Kathy: Hi, smiley face.

Angel Reaper: You can't reap me for one thing. ^_- I'm a DARKLightAngel. Sorry, I'm trying to be funny. Thanks!

Quantum: Hey, thanks! Glad you like it! Trust me, you were of great help. I only got a muse because I needed help. Now, I'm having fun thinking of different tortures for Shadow since _he_ like to torture _me_. Shadow: -_-; Aww, crap.

Angel: Anywho, time to get back to the fic! I was rather stuck on a chapter that is why it took me so long.

Chapter 3~ Takato's POV

"Where the hell is Henry?!" I was very worried and very angry. Henry had been gone for hours! I knew I should have gone with him, or better yet, gone instead of him. "Damn him!"

"Oh, Takato! You know Henry can take care of himself. Remember, Henry did survive on his own for several hundred years and had to fend for himself ever since he was born! After the massacre, we managed to find each other right away. 

I heard Ryo and Rika were picked up by human mothers who lost their own children and didn't care whether or not their child was magic or not. So don't worry about Henry since he has survived on his own much longer than the rest of us." Reprimanded Juri.

//I know THAT. It's just that I worry about him. After all, he is the youngest and my boyfriend. Juri can be so unreasonable sometimes! \\ 

"Thanks a lot, Takato. I should have known to keep my mouth shut!" snapped Juri, "You know, you aren't the only one worried about someone. At least you know Henry is alive! I don't e en know if Ruki is alive!"

I stood, shocked.

//Wow, Juri must be really worried…about Ruki. \\

"Wait a minute. Did you just read my mind?! I thought I told you that you were not allowed to read my mind without my permission! Even Henry isn't allowed to read my mind!" I was now angry. The nerve of her! What we both had said before was now forgotten.

"Yes I did. Who cares!" snapped Juri angrily.

"Guys…" Kenta said, trying to stop us from arguing. Juri and I ignored him

"I care! Why do you always act like a snobby, obnoxious asshole?" I replied heatedly.

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME, YOU JERK?" whispered Juri, coldly.

"Snobby. Obnoxious. Ass. Hole.'

"You'll pay for calling me that! Vines! Come to my aid!"

"Oh no you don't! Fire.."

"GUYS!" screamed Kenta and Kazu, "Now is not the time! Humans will notice your power as it calls upon your element!"

Juri and I said nothing. We just stood there, gasping for breath. We did stop our attacks, however. Slowly, ever so slowly, Juri and I calmed won, our previous anger fading.

"Sorry, Juri". I muttered

"Sorry, Takato." She muttered back. Although I was still somewhat frustrated, my previous anger was gone, and now replaced by guilt.

//I shouldn't have blown up at her. It wasn't fair, even if she did read my mind. \\

Juri's POV~

I was so furious at Takato! Was he that ignorant of other peoples pain? I sighed. As much as I knew I shouldn't be angry at him, I couldn't help it. Years of worrying about Ruki and Henry was finally taking its toll on me.

//But you know that Ruki was going to be safe, once you saw her being picked up by Mrs. Makino, didn't you.\\

As I thought longer about Mrs. Makino, I recalled Ruki and I watching her daily. Ruki, Takato, Kenta, Kazu, Ryo, Henry, and I are orphans.

Ruki's parents had been killed, like my parents, during the massacre. That's when we met Mrs. Makino. Kenta's, Kazu's, and Takato's parents were caught and killed after the massacre. Ryo's parents died of toxins that were let out a few years before the massacre. 

I smiled bitterly, remembering that that was the cause of many mystics, including my parents, going insane or dying. 

Henry, well Henry never knew his parents. Sighing again, I remembered meeting Henry for the first time.

Henry was about five (A/N: in human years), I think, but he already talked and acted older than he really was. Which he was, because he had to fend for himself a few hours after he was born.

//How stupid! _They_ got rid of Henry just because he was different and a half-breed! I see nothing wrong with being a half-breed even if he is half elf and half something. \\ 

"Juri?" Great. Takato. Just who I wanted to talk to. NOT!

"What is it?" I snapped. Takato flinched.

"I know I already apologized, but I want to apologize again." Takato took a deep breath. "I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. I should've remembered that you're as worried about Ruki as I am of Henry."

//He looks flustered. \\ I sighed again. I seem to be full of sighs today.

"It's OK, Takato. I shouldn't have yelled like that either. Truce?" I asked, sincerely.

"Truce." Takato smiled. I smiled. Kenta and Kazu smiled. Everybody was happy and serene. (Shadow: ugh, that was too sappy. Me: Shut up, you idiot!) Then we heard the door of the warehouse creak as it was being open. Immediately, the four of us took up defensive stances, ready to take on whoever was coming through the door. 

In fact, when the person entered the door, we all attacked him, dead-on. Surprisingly, there were two people. The girl just jumped up and attacked back in a very familiar fighting style. The boy just stood there and in a blink of an eye, a black shimmering shield appeared. All of us, including the girl, slammed into it and was thrown back all the way to the back of the warehouse. When we hit the wall, the wall suddenly bounced us onto our feet and onto the ground.

"That's a nice welcome. I think you know your 'other' attacker." Henry, the boy, said, smiling.

"YOU LAME BRAINS AND GOGGLEHEAD!!! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING!?!" screamed Ruki.

"RUKI!!! IT'S REALLY YOU!!!" I screamed, joyfully.

"Juri? OH MY GOD!!! JURI!!!" Ruki ran to me and swept me into a humongous bear hug. 

"Uh, sorry, Ruki. Please have mercy on us!" begged Takato, Kenta, and Kazu fearfully.

"Ruki, please don't hurt them. We do that to all who come!" I pleaded with Ruki, trying to keep her from murdering them.

"Oh, alright. Just because Juri asked me not to." Ruki conceded, reluctantly. I smiled and kissed her. Henry cleared his throat.

"AHHHHH!!!" everybody screamed in surprise and attacked Henry. Without our knowing, Henry had somehow gotten to us while we were talking and being reunited.

"You guys shouldn't let your guard down, you know," said Henry seriously as our attacks just disappeared without him doing anything, "Your enemies can easily hit you while your guard is down. Promise me you'll always keep your guard up. Oh, and when you attack someone who surprises you, don't use your natural power. Use physical force first, then use your power." All of us just gaped at him. We had NEVER seen Henry do that. 

"Did you just do that with your mind?" squeaked Takato, surprised. Henry blinked at us and frowned.

"PROMISE ME. Did you not here my question? Yes, I did that with my mind. Oh, I forgot to tell you about that…" Henry blushed in embarrassment. We all stared again. We have never seen Henry blush before.

"Uh, yeah, we promise…" all of us muttered.

"Are you OK?" inquired Takato, worried. 

"Hai, I mean yes. I'm fine. I guess I'm just ti…" with that, Henry collapsed. Takato managed to catch him before he hit the ground. Picking him up, Takato's face took on a strange look.

"When was the last time Henry ate something?" asked Takato. The rest of us, excluding Ruki, shrugged.

"YOU DON'T KNOW!?" Ruki yelled, enraged.

"No, why?" Kenta asked. Takato frowned.

"Henry doesn't weigh anything." muttered Takato.

"Huh, he never does." said Kazu, annoyed. 

"Kazu!" snapped Ruki, angrily. "How can you be so heartless? I also can't believe you don't know that Henry doesn't eat anything!" Ruki stopped and blinked. Amazingly, a dark red colored spread across her cheeks. "Oops, I wasn't supposed to say that. You didn't hear anything, got it?"

"YES SIR! I MEAN MA'AM! I'M SORRY FOR BEING SO HEARTLESS!" Kazu cried in fear. The rest of us blinked. 

"You'd better be." Snapped Ruki. Takato disappeared in a flash of red light. Kazu was looking dejectedly at the ground while Kenta was trying to comfort him. Ruki was standing there, fuming. Curls of blue magic raced along her body, and I knew that she was furious.

"Oh Ruki, don't worry. Henry will be fine." I whispered softly, while rubbing her back gently. Ruki sighed.

"I know that. It's just, he's the youngest so why does he always have to sacrifice things when we're the ones who are supposed to sacrifice to the younger?" Ruki asked, angrily. Now it was MY turn to sigh.

"You know him. Everybody comes before him. Other people welfare is more important than his own. Even human welfare is much more important, whether or not they tried to kill him. Well, he'll be concerned about everybody except the Evils."

"God, he makes me want to smack him sometimes!" 

Chuckling softly, I shook my head. "You know you can't. Nobody can…Except for some."

"Grrr, I'll kill those who do."

"Ruki! Stop it! Now is not the time to think of that! Not now, not so soon."

"You're right, I'm sorry."

"He's asleep," Takato said as he came up to stand next to us. "Henry was exhausted. What happened? Oh, and what is that basket for?"

"The basket is food for ALL of us. Henry was attacked by three Evils." Ruki said shortly.

"EVILS!" Takato, Kenta, Kazu, and I gasped. 

//Please be joking, Ruki! Then again, she never jokes about something as important as that. Not even Kazu would joke about something like that! \\

"Evils. Low power and low level, but Evils all the same." Ruki scowled, "They attacked Henry because he was on their turf, and now that I think of it, because Henry looked like a fresh piece of meat that they could have 'fun' with".

"Oh God…they didn't do anything, though, right?" Stammered Takato, frightened.

"No, they didn't. Henry put up too good of a fight and I defeated them before they could do anything." Ruki replied, dryly.

"Does Henry know about that? I mean about the Evils?" Kazu asked.

"I'm not sure. I didn't mention it or ask, and he never said a word about it." Ruki suddenly looked worried. "Do you think he knows?"

"Probably…" I replied slowly, "Henry is starting to know things way ahead of time or, I don't know, just by feeling it".

"Let's hope to hell that he doesn't know this yet." Takato said, firmly. "He has enough things to worry about. Let alone this."

"By the way, where's Ryo?" Ruki asked, looking around.

"We don't know, but Henry is looking for him. We think that Ryo lives somewhere near the high school." Kenta replied.

"Looks like that we're all going to be together sooner than we thought possible. I mean, I thought I wouldn't see you guys for another 1000 years or more." Ruki said, smiling.

"Yeah, I agree." Takato laughed.

"Actually, you might see me sooner than you think." A new voice said. Once again, we all turned around and took up defensive positions.

"Oh my freaking' God! Is that really you?" Kazu cried out.

"Yes, it is. Unless you think I'm someone else…," Ryo replied, smiling. "It's good to see you again, especially you, Ice Queen."

"Grr Shove it, ego-boy." Ruki snarled, angrily.

"Feisty as ever. No, really. It's good to see you again. I heard Lee was looking for me." Ryo replied, laughing. Lee was Ryo's nickname for Henry. "Where is Lee?" For the first time, Takato spoke up.

"He's resting. You can talk to him when he's up." Takato said quietly and calmly.

"What happened?" Ryo questioned. We all remained quiet. Ryo looked at all of us with a piercing gaze. "Well?" Takato finally answered.

"He was attacked while foraging for food."

"WHAT? You let him go out all alone!?" Ryo shouted, angry.

"CALM DOWN RYO!!! IT WASN'T MY IDEA! IT WAS HIS!" Takato yelled angrily. 

"I suppose you couldn't do anything to stop him."

"You're right. I couldn't. His reasons were that he has done this longer than we have, already knew the place like the back of his hand, he is much more stronger than us, and he also knew where to look."

"Can't argue with that. I'm sorry for yelling at you like that. It's just that I've never had a younger sibling before, and I consider Lee to be my youngest brother. All of you are older than him, that's why. You know how over-protective I can get."

"I'm sorry too. It's just that I'm so worried about him! I didn't realize until today that he hasn't been eating. He's been giving all the food to us! What makes me even more frustrated is that he put a spell over it so it looked like he was eating. God, Henry can be so stubborn, sometimes!"

"Reminds me of someone I know." Ryo replied, smirking. At that comment, all of us, except for Kenta and I, blushed. 

"How nice of you to come by, Ryo. Now we can get started." Henry said, amused.

"How long have you been there!?" Ruki asked, startled.

"Hey, Lee. How's it going, 'lil bro?" Ryo asked, grinning.

"Long enough, and fine. Anyway, it's time for me to tell you the reason all of you have been gathered here." Henry said, completely serious and in a way, frightening. 

A/N: What will happen next? Stay tuned for the next chapter of _The Uprising_! Read and Review, people! Shadow: Hn Bet nobody would review this piece of crap.

Angel: Oh, really. You were the one who helped me finish this.

Shadow: ^_^' Uh, READ AND REVIEW!!!

Angel: That's better. ^_^

R&R, please!


	4. Information

A/N: Ah, it's good to be feeling better. Yes, I've been sick. I'm better now, though. Thank you new reviewers! I love new reviewers! I also love old reviewers too! Shadow wants to talk to you people, by the way.

Shadow: You bet I do. You had better like this chapter. It took a long time and it is still short.

Me: Oh boy. I hope you do like the chapter. Now to reply to my reviewers. THANK YOU!!!

Silent Angel: I love your story. Thanks for reading mine! I know it was squished. *sob* Oh well. I'll try to do better next time.

Kathleen: Hey again! Uhh, are you OK? You're like, scaring me. *sigh* I know, I know. Speakers get a paragraph to themselves. Like I told Silent, I'll try to do better this time. It's hard writing! Especially since I don't get to write a lot… Shadow: Pity party. All are invited. Me: Shut the hell up, Shadow. *Shadow disappears* Me: O.O How did he do that? Ah well. Have fun flying on a hairbrush. ^_-

Quantum: Wah Chapter 3 was the worst written. *starts crying and room quickly becomes flooded* Shadow: *who suddenly reappears* Stop crying! *looks alarmed* You're going to flood the whole house! Me: *sniffle* S-sorry. Shadow: That's better. I'll take it from here while you go collect yourself. Me: Okay. *walks away* Shadow: OK. Well, to all those who thought that Chapter 3 was squished, check it out. Maybe it isn't as squished as before, I hope. Quantum, thanks for R&R

Fluffy-chan: Me: Hey girl! Shadow: Go away. Me: *sniffs* Fine! Be that way! Shadow: Well, Chapter 3 revealed more about the Massacre and the Tamers' past. Was that what you were confused about? Oh, Takato and Juri also got into a fight. Thanks for R&R

Reaper: Me: haha Shadow: Beat it, Dark. Me: *scowls and walks away* Shadow: I am NOT weird, thank you very much. You're lucky I'm in a not so bad mood right now. However, I am pissed off and no matter what you say, I'm still offended. Therefore, *dumps honey and feathers over you* There. That should do it. Thank you for R&R

Mel: You did? I don't recall you then, sorry. Well, if you want to be put in my story, you'll need to give me info about yourself. Yeah, e-mail me about yourself and I'll see if I can't arrange it, okay? Thanks!

Now, on with the story.

Henry's POV~

I took a deep breath and begun. This was the perfect time as all my friends are gathered together. I just hope the prophecy will come true… No matter. I'll worry about that later.

//I am so nervous! I hope I can do this alright. \\

"You are here because of the Evils. Contrary to popular belief, the Tyrant is not dead. Well, not exactly. He had a son, and the son still lives." I held up his hands to shush my friends as all of them opened their mouths to say something, "The Tyrant's spirit lives on through his son, and his son is also Evil, like his father, so therefore, they must be destroyed. Each of you have an unique ability, that was given to you since the day you were born. Now, you will need to learn to master and improve these abilities in order to fight in the Final Battle.

"Ruki, you are a Water/Ice witch. You need to improve your Ice abilities and master your Water abilities. Your 'Hydro Spear' and 'Ice Crystals' can be taken up several levels. You need to improve the rest of your abilities especially 'Rain storm' and 'Freeze over'. Don't forget to train harder and discover the rest of your abilities. You have about two abilities left to go and they happen to be your most valuable abilities in ice and water.

"Juri, you are an Earth/Healing faerie. Most of your abilities you have mastered. However, you do need to work on Healing. You can speed up Healing yourself and others, so you need to work on that. For your Earth abilities, you need discover your most valuable ability. You also need to be able to have control of every single plant within your maximum range of 100 miles and be able to keep them in control for years if the need comes.

"Kenta, you are a Wood/Stone mountain fey. No offense, but out of all of us, you'll need to work the hardest in order to approach Master level. However, your 'Wood Strike' and 'Wooden Arrow' are at Master level already. Your other two abilities you need to improve are the Stone based attacks because they are the only things keeping you from becoming at Master level. Yes, I know those are particularly hard attacks, but I know you can do them

"Kazu, you are an Ore/Metal dwarf. Since your attacks are simple to Master, you already have all but one ability to Master. That ability is 'Opaque Ore'. Wait a minute, you don't even have that ability yet. Uh, you'll need to acquire that ability through training like the others. Otherwise, you're pretty much set.

"Takato, you are a Fire/Ice dragon. Since you are a dragon, all of your abilities are at Master level but you are one step away from Master level. You need to work on your flying. If I recall correctly, last time you decided to give me a ride, I ended up having to save both of us before we broke our necks.

"Ryo, you are a Wind/Lightning warlock. You, out of all of us, are the only one who is at Master level. Therefore, you don't need to do anything. 

"That's about it. Now is the time for questions. By the way, do I happen to sound like a teacher?" 

Nobody moved. They all just stared at me with their mouths opening and closing like a fish. I sighed. This was not good.

//I hope they start talking soon, or else I'll be in a very difficult and uncomfortable position. Who knew that being stared at like the way they are staring at me right now could be so unsettling? \\

I smiled wryly and looked at my friends once more. They were in the same position. I was beginning to feel that they had not understood a thing I had said.

"Uh, guys? Hello? Are you still in there?" I asked, nervously. Takato gave a start and shook his head.

"How do you know all of this?" Takato asked, frowning.

"I just do. I knew since after the Massacre occurred." I replied, face completely void of emotion.

"SorRY! I was just wondering. Why didn't you mention this before?" Takato asked frustrated. The others were finally coming back to reality. 

"I wanted to wait until all of you were here. Kenta, Kazu, Juri, and you had found each other soon after the Massacre, right? Some loving and caring human mothers picked up Ruki and Ryo. I was, well never mind that. Frankly, I didn't want to repeat myself three times. Once to you guys, another to Ruki, and finally, one last time to Ryo. Also, once we were together, we could start training together and hopefully improve faster. I told you what you guys needed to improve on and I already know what I need to improve on. Therefore, we can all be ready when Evil starts attacking."

"Oh."

"Where do we train then?" Ruki asked snapping back into attention. I almost laughed. That was completely like her, snapping back into attention like a soldier.

"Actually, I haven't figured that out yet. I was hoping one of you would know of a good place to stay." I replied, embarrassed. Ruki rolled her eyes while Kazu snickered. 

Ryo's POV~

Henry, clueless?! That was a first. OK, so Henry isn't totally clueless. However, if he's been around the city so many times, you'd expect him to know about one private and secluded training spot for us.

"I hope you know of some place where we can train." Henry was agitated. He was extremely agitated. An agitated Henry is someone you do not want to deal with. Even if he's younger than you. I shuddered, thinking about the last time we continued to tease Henry while he was agitated. It was a very horrible experience.

"I know of a place." Henry rose his eyebrow at Ruki, "It's been deserted for years. The place I'm talking about is in the park. In fact, it's in the center of the park. Nobody goes there anymore since it's considered as a dangerous place to be. How about it? Do you want to go check this place out?"

"Thank you Ruki. Yes, we will check this place out. Come on, guys." Henry turned around and walked towards the exit of the warehouse. The rest of us followed, Ruki pulling ahead of us to lead us to our new training center. 

I'M SO SORRY THAT THIS CHAPTER IS VERY SHORT! I hope I haven't disappointed any of you… I just happened to be at a loss for ideas on this chapter. I promise the next chapter will be better and longer. I'll also try to update sooner, although the next chapter will be posted sometime next week as I haven't started writing it yet. Still, please read and review!

-Dark


	5. The Newcomer

A/N: Bonjour! Bonjour! I hope you find this chapter much better than the last one. The last one was horrible, wasn't it. I also think I spelled Ryo's last name wrong. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Shadow: Even I think it was horrible.

Me: *roll eyes* Yeah, whatever. Thank you for the reviews! Please! I need more reviews!

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN DIGIMON. Just thought I would remind you ppl again.

Kathleen: *winces* Glad you're still here then. Really? You'll beta my stories? I'd love that! First of all, I need to know what that is, though…I have absolutely no experience with computers…sort of… Well, if it's good, then go ahead and do it. ^_^

Mel: Actually, FF.net did post up your review. *grimaces* I know Chapter 4 sucked. I had momentary idea lapse. @_@ Say what? OK, nvm then. ^_- I hope you like what I write for this chapter! Oh, and I'm sorry if I make you somewhat OOC from what you told me about your personality.

****

Chapter 5: Ryo's POV~

"Nice place, Rika." I gave a start, "I thought you said that this place would be deserted."

"I did." Rika snapped, scowling.

"Then who is that girl over there?"

"What girl?"

"That girl. You know, standing by that shelter thing."

"I don't know. She looks kind of familiar though…" Rika's brow furrowed in thought.

"Well?"

"Shut up, Akiyama!"

"Rika? Ryo? Is that really you?" questioned the mysterious girl walking up to them.

"Mel! It's so nice to see you again! I thought you had died! Where have you been for all these years? What happened? Are you OK?" Rika virtually screamed all of that. I just stared at Rika and Mel, open-mouthed.

//Wow, I never thought I would see Rika like this. I can't believe Mel is still alive! Hey, she's looking good! What am I thinking of? \\

"Woah, Rika. Slow down. It's nice to see you again, too! Obviously, I'm not dead, but look who's talking? I thought YOU were dead! I was picked up by a human mother, Mrs. Miyakai. She's really nice. How about you? Nothing happened, parents were killed, like yours were. What happened happened to you? Yes, I'm fine. How about you? What's up with you, Ryo?" Mel asked, smiling at me. I nearly melted at her smile.

//What is up with me?! \\

"Oh nothing much happened. Same story as you though, except picked up by Mrs. Makino instead." Rika said, smiling fondly. I was still staring at Mel and almost forgot that it was my turn to speak.

"Uh I was uh, picked up by, uh Mr. Akiyama, and uh I was uh wandering around for uh uh several days before I uh fell in front of uh my adoptive father's feet. It was extremely embarrassing, I assure you." I blushed, feeling awkward. Mel smirked, this time.

//Why am I feeling like this? It's not because of Mel, is it? \\ Thinking back, I remembered spending practically every single day with Mel. We had been best of friends since we were born. Then I met Rika and I introduced Mel to Rika. They got along quickly, unlike me. Rika and I were always arguing. Mel and I had never argued… I nearly gasped in shock at the realization. I had been in love with Mel for all my life, although I had hit on Rika instead.

"Aww, is widdle Ryo becoming forgetful? Or is he becoming a widdle old senile man?" Mel asked, smirking. My face grew hot and this time, I had no trouble with words.

"Of course not! I'm Ryo, the great warlock of Wind and Lightning! Protector of all Mystics! Dream of all females!" At that I stopped. Then I blushed. Kazu started laughing, and then Mel, Rika, Kenta, Juri, Takato, and finally, Henry. I glared at each of them.

"It's true! OK, maybe not the 'dream of all females' part, but still." I said, glaring at them. Henry was the first to sober up, but he still looked like as if he was trying hard not to laugh. Kazu, of course, was the last person to sober up. 

"Well, it's great seeing you two again, especially you, Ryo. Of course you too, Rika, but you know how it is. I've known Ryo for my whole life, but I've only known you for several years…I'm making this worse, aren't I?" Mel said blushing. 

//Wow, Mel looks cute when blushing… \\ 

Rika actually laughed at that. Then she shook her head and said, "No, it's OK. I understand the feeling."

"Great. Now, are you going to introduce me to your friends or not? I already know Juri, sort of and I met your friends once, but I don't know them really well. Have you two been treating each other nicely, I mean Juri and Rika, of course." Mel asked pointedly. Juri blushed and nodded.

"Um, the guy with the visor is Kazu, the one with glasses is Kenta, the one with goggles is Takato, and um the one with silver eyes is Henry," I replied pointing to each of them in turn. "This knuckleheaded doofus here is Mel. Mel, guys. Guys, Mel." I smirked, knowing that what I just said would get a rise out of Mel.

"Why you! Grrr, if I didn't want to make myself look like a fool, I'd kill your right here, right now." Mel said, snarling. Henry looked alarmed.

"Woah, take it easy! I'm sure Ryo didn't mean anything by that. I have some questions of my own, by the way. You don't have to answer if you don't want to. My first question would be, what kind of witch/vampire are you? I can sense your power and what you are, but I can't tell what you are since you hide it so well." Henry said, looking curious. Mel blinked and stared at him. She had gone deathly pale. 

//Figures. Mel is so used to having nobody know what or who she is. Henry must have really surprised her. \\

"How-how'd you know? Nobody knew, not even Ryo and Rika until I told them! Also, how could you sense that? I thought you were completely human!" Mel replied, shakily. Henry blushed and looked at the ground.

"I'm sorry. If I had known you weren't used to having someone know, I wouldn't have said anything. No, I'm not human. Quite the opposite, actually. I'm a half-breed, actually. Sort of…not really…forget it. To answer your questions, I'm an elf and I just happen to excel in telekinesis and sensory kind of stuff…yeah…" Henry stammered, looking worried. The rest of us face-faulted and stared at Henry. What in the world was he talking about? Unless he was one of those…(A/N: i.e: complete witch and complete faerie. Does that make any sense? I suppose not…)

"Right. What-freakin-ever. Well, to answer your question, my elements, or powers, or whatever are ice/wind and you're right. I was born a vampire on the dark side but since I'm part witch, I don't need to drink blood. My abilities include shapeshifting, calling snakes made out of ice to help me, and calling down blizzards. Why?" 

"Would you like to be apart of our group? I could tell you what you need to work on, if that's OK with you. Yes, I know I haven't seen you battle before, but still. I know what you need to work on." Henry had said that gently but when he told her that he knew what she needed to work on, both him and Mel looked surprised.

"You do?"

"Um, yeah, apparently."

"Then yes, I'd love to be apart of your group but you need to tell me what I need to work on."

"Great! Well, you need to master you shapeshifting abilities and your blizzard one can be stronger. Everything else is fine, though. If you need help on shapeshifting, come to me or go to Rika for the ice techniques and to find out some water techniques you can learn, if you want to that is."

"Cool, thanks. Where do we train and when do we start?"

"OK, everybody listen up," Henry looked around and realized that everybody had been listening from the start, "uh, okay…Those of you who have parents need to tell them that you won't be with them for several months. You also want to tell them the truth. Trust me, they'll be OK with it. After all, they should be if they truly love you. Then we'll meet in the old warehouse down by the lake tomorrow morning. Bring extra clothing, supplies and food if you feel the need. However, you don't have to. Everybody got that? Great. Now, all of us need some rest. I suggest getting a good rest and telling your parents the truth and be ready for tomorrow."

"Yes SIR!" we all shouted, saluting to Henry. Henry laughed but then quickly turned and left.

"Wait! Henry, where are you going?" Takato shouted, surprised. Henry merely flapped a hand behind him and didn't answer. He just suddenly disappeared into thin air. Takato growled and angrily blasted a hole into the ground.

"Not AGAIN!" Takato shouted. Juri shook her head and immediately repaired the hole.

"Takato, he'll be OK." Juri said laying a hand on his arm. Takato calmed down. The rest of us, excluding Kazu and Kenta looked confused.

"What just happened? Where's Henry? How did he do that?" Mel asked, surprised and worried. Takato snarled, furious.

"He teleported away somewhere and he did that using his mind. He learned how to do that when he was young. Then again, he learned virtually everything when he was younger. Damn parents." Takato muttered, furious still.

"What? OK, if I'm going to be staying with you guys. I want you to tell me everything." Mel said sternly. I gulped.

"Everything?" I asked.

"EVERYTHING." Mel replied.

"Alright then." I replied.

Mel's POV~

It was so great seeing Rika again! Even better seeing Ryo.

//Oh my god. Ryo looks even better than last time! I can't believe I still have a crush on him! Wait, can I be in love with him? After all, I bet no one has ever had a crush for several hundred years… \\

Now, I was going to find out the pasts of my group members. This had better be good, or else someone is going to be running home crying.

"First, I'll tell you about my past," Juri said, taking a deep breath, "I was born in Shinjuku, on February 14, 15000 years ago. I had a loving family. A happy family, but all that changed when my mother died. My father remarried but I never gave her a chance. I missed my mother so much that my stepmother was more of an enemy, trying to take my mother's place. All too late did I realize that my stepmother wasn't trying to take my mother's place. She never could. She didn't want to. She wanted to be my friend and mother. Her own kind of mother. My brother was too young when my mother died. He didn't understand what was happening so he immediately took to my step-mother. Like I said, I never got along with her. I barely got along with my own father, in fact. 

"That all changed when the first attack hit our home. You remember, right? When the humans put toxins and deadly gases into our environment. My parents were affected. I was affected too, but not as bad as my parents and brother. However, my stepmother didn't let her illness stop her. She was always up and about, taking care of my brother and I. Slowly, under my stepmother's care, we healed, as did my dad. That still didn't change me. Sure, I got along much better with her after that, but I still never saw her as a mother. She was still my enemy.

"Then came the second attack. Everybody was affected. My mom was affected the most. Once again, that didn't stop her from taking care of my father, my brother, and I. After that, I finally saw my stepmother as my new mother. She never tried to take my mother's place. However, she was just as good as a mom. I began loving her like I loved my mother. Then they my brother died in the third attack. I survived because I wasn't affected. Naturally, I was devastated. Of course, I had met Rika a little while after the first attack. We began dating after a couple of years, and now, we're soulmates. 

"Then came the Massacre. My parents died in the Massacre. Afterwards, I found Takato, Kenta, and Kazu. A little while on, the four of us seperated to find food and you guys. However, each of us were picked up by different humans. I was picked up by Mr. Katou. Once more, I have a loving family, even with a brother." Juri finished, smiling. I grinned at her.

"Sounds like my life. Except I had a younger sister instead. Now you know of my past. It's the same as Juri's, although with a little sister instead." I said, proudly. "Oh except for the last part. Like Rika and Ryo, I was immediately picked up by the Miyakai's."

"My turn," Kazu announced. I rolled my eyes. This was going to be fun.

"Nothing much, actually. I could tell you both mine and Kenta's past at the same time. Lesse, Kenta and I have known each other since we were born, we started dating after the first attack, parents died during the Massacre, led a happy life up till the attacks, but nothing bad happened to us during those attacks." Kazu finished, grinning proudly. Kenta blushed at his love's behavior. My mouth dropped open. For someone who was as long-winded as Kazu, that was surprisingly brief. Not that I wasn't glad about that, of course. 

"Uh, okay then. Who's next?" I questioned, still shocked. Nobody said anything for a few minutes. They were as shocked as I was.

"Oh, um, I"ll go…" Takato muttered, "Let's see, nothing much. Great life, up till attacks. Parents killed in Massacre, met Henry after the third attack. Met everyone else at the same time right after the first attack. Same story as Juri after the Massacre except picked up by the Matsuda's who have been wanting a child for quite some time now." Takato shrugged. This time I wasn't quite as shocked. I merely nodded. Now I get to hear Henry's past. I already knew what happened to Rika and Ryo, so I didn't need to hear their stories. Henry's, I wanted to hear.

"There's nothing much to tell about me, really. Never knew my parents as I was abandoned when I was merely a few hours old. Killed my first Evil when I was one day old. Mastered everything but a few when I was 1000. Taken into a family once, but left, after learning they only took me in for their own purposes. Wasn't affected during the attacks and met Takato when I was 5000 and was left fending for myself once again for 1000 years after the Massacre." Henry finished quietly. I was numb with surprise. Henry, this gentle seeming Mystic had been killing since he was one day old? Looking around, I noticed that the others were surprised too. Then I knew that they hadn't known all of that. I wondered what had made Henry tell everything, well, almost everything, I think, to us now. Takato gently pulled Henry into his arms and sat down, with Henry in his lap. Everybody else sat down too, with Rika gently stoking Juri's hand absent-mindedly.

"That's dark, real dark." I muttered, unconsciously looking at Ryo. Ryo met my gaze and held it for a few seconds. Henry gave me a wry grin and shook his head.

"Come on, it's late and oh…All of you told your parents that you would be going to a sleepover, right?" Henry asked, looking at Rika, Ryo, and I. Rika, Ryo, and I looked at each other. Then we looked back at Henry.

"Yep!" we shouted, laughing.

"Ah well, I told my family that because my brother was annoying me and I wanted out of the house until tomorrow. Like my reason?" I asked, childishly. Everybody rolled their eyes.

"Sure. Then tell your parents the truth tomorrow. We won't begin training unless you do." Henry replied, strictly. Rika and I rolled our eyes while Ryo shook his head. However, we agreed to Henry's term. I mean, what else could we do? Then it suddenly hit me. I had just told a group of people I barely knew what I was and who I was! I don't usually do that, so I must really trust them, even though I barely know them…I like that.

Looking around at my new friends and I suppose, family, I saw Ryo looking at me. When he saw that I had seen him look at me, he blushed and turned away. 

//I wonder why he was looking at me…Could he possibly like me? \\ I shook my head. No way in hell would that ever be possible.

"Henry, who was that family who took you in?" Takato asked, hugging Henry. Henry squirmed in his grasp, blushing. Everybody grinned.

"Their name was Murako. I'm sure you've heard of them." Henry replied no longer blushing. Instead, a dark look appeared in his eyes but then disappeared just as quickly.

"Them? The whole family turned into Evils after that boy ran away from them! Oh. You were that boy, weren't you." Takato said, his eyes growing wide. Henry nodded slowly.

"Err, what did they want you to do if you don't mind me asking?"

"Takato, you're too curious for your own good sometimes. What they wanted from me and what they did to me is of no importance right now. You just need to know that whatever they did is in the past and that they are still alive. Okay?" Henry all but snapped at Takato, pulling himself out of Takato's grasp.

"I'm sorry! I didn't know it was going to be such a touchy subject!"

"I'm sorry. I'm just kind of tense right now. There I go again. Ruining an apology with an excuse."

"Uh, guys? I don't meant to interrupt your lovers' feud right now, but I'm really tired, I heard what I wanted to hear, and I want to go to sleep!" I said, cutting into their argument/apology.

"Right. Everybody back to the warehouse for a good nights…errr morning's sleep. Right, uh, let's just go." Kazu mumbled, finally speaking up. I shook my head and walked off towards the warehouse right next to Ryo. 

Rika's POV~

As we walked back towards the warehouse, I looked back at Mel and Ryo. I grinned, seeing their hands intertwined with the each other. Amused, I noticed that they didn't even realize that their hands were intertwined and that Mel was resting her head against Ryo's shoulder. They looked great together. I wonder when will they realize that the two of them like each other? I can't wait to find out what will happen when they come to realize their love for each other.

A/N: I hope you liked it! I know, it's not as long as I planned. Chapter 6 is going to come out soon! Please R&R!

Shadow: Don't forget to brush your teeth really well after eating all that candy.

Party-pooper. You eat candy don't you?

Shadow: Yes, however, my dental hygiene is much better than yours.

Give me a break. I have perfectly fine dental hygiene. Now, shut up, go away, and let me eat my candy in peace. R&R, peoples! Oh, and thank you to all my faithful reviewers!


	6. Strange Happenings

A/N: Thank you for the reviews!

Shadow: She is going insane with happiness…

Am not!

Shadow: Yes you are. 

Whatever *rolls eyes* 

Mel: ^_^ glad you liked it! Am I good or what? I was totally guessing at your personality the whole time and I decided to just write. @_@ That did not make sense, did it. Ah, well. Thanks for reviewing!

Quantum: You're still here? Wow! That's great! I'm so happy! ^_^ Here's the next chappie!

Kathleen: I would have sent you this, but it would have taken a long time before I would have been able to send this chapter to you. Thanks! 

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN DIGIMON OR MEL…Actually, I'm not so sure about Mel…nah, she owns herself.

Mel: Witch

*…*: Action

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Chapter 6: Rika's POV~

//Mmm, so warm. Wha? Where am I? \\ I shot up and frantically looked around in the dark. 

//Oh yeah, I'm at the warehouse. It's still dark…What time is it? \\ I glanced around, hoping to find a clock or something. *sigh* Nope, no luck. This sucks. Then I remembered.

//Stupid, stupid, stupid! Use the time spell, clock spell, whatever! \\

"Great going, Rika! Grrr…Time!" I muttered to myself. The time appeared in front of me, glowing a dull blue. It was 5am. "Too early…"

"AHHH!!!" I shot back up and threw an attack right to where the scream came from.

_Hisssssss_

"Wha? What's happening? Are we being attacked? Oh my god! Henry, are you OK?" The lights suddenly switched on and revealed everybody awake. A distressed looking Takato was bending over a paler-than-usual Henry.

"Henry! That was you who screamed? I am so sorry!" I cried, upset. I did not mean to attack Henry. Years of life in danger had given me the habit of attacking first and asking questions later. Stupid, I know, but even with Henry's training, nothing much has changed at all. (A/N: Didn't make much sense, did it. Shadow: *bops Dark on the head* A/N: owww) 

"I'm OK, don't worry about anything. This isn't the first time something like this has happened. I screamed because I had a nightmare. Don't freak out about it." Henry replied shaking his head a bit. Then he stood up, "Well, since we are all awake now, I suggest you three get home and tell your parents. Then we'll start our training."

"Aww man!" Ryo and Mel said at the same time. The quickly looked at each other and blushed. The rest of us grinned.

"Ryo and Mel, sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-OOMPH!" Kazu yelped Mel had just punched him.

"Kazu! Are you OK? Man, that was one heck of a punch!" Kenta gasped running to Kazu.

"Loser," Mel glared at Kazu before turning around and heading out of the ware house. Ryo and I followed behind her, trying not to laugh. 

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Ryo's POV~

//Mel looks so good! Bad Ryo! Focus on the fight! \\ I smiled as I remembered telling my parents about my true identity. Surprisingly, they had taken it extremely well, in fact, they were happy about it!

*flashback*

"Mom, Dad, I need to tell you something important." I whispered, fighting the urge to lie.

"What is it Ryo?" Dad asked, looking up from his newspaper. Mom placed the teapot she was holding onto the stove once more.

Paling even more, I whispered, "I'm not human," noticing that they were about to say something, I winced and stopped them, "let me tell you the whole truth before I lose my nerve, okay? You see, when you found me laying about all the rubble in the Mystic Realm, or Forbidden Land as you call it, I wasn't there by accident. I lived there. The Mystic Realm was and is my home. Don't get me wrong, I love you two and I love my home, here, but the Mystic Realm will always be my true home. 

"However, that wasn't what I wanted to tell you. Actually, that was, but I'm not finished. You see, the form I'm in is my true form because I'm a warlock. Alternatively, a mage who specializes in warfare with powers of wind and lightning. I am 1700 years old, not 17 and every time I left the house for hours or even days was to practice my magic, not to go over to someone's house. I am sorry for all the times I have lied to you…you're not mad at me, are you?" 

My parents simply smiled and shook their heads.

"Oh honey, we would never be mad at you! I suspected, as much when I noticed that whenever there was lightning, it seemed to be drawn to you whenever you waved your hand. We just wished you had told us sooner!" Mother said. I smiled, happy to know that they still loved and cared for me.

"Thanks mom…" I whispered.

*End flashback*

"RYO! PAY ATTENTION, YOU MORON!" Rika yelled as several ice missiles were sent my way. I immediately counter attacked with my own attack, "Lightning Rod!"

"YOU IDIOT! WATER CONDUCTS ELECTRICITY!" Mel yelled, creating a blizzard. Her eyes went wide, "oops…"

" 'oops' is right, Mel. Fire Blaze!" Takato muttered, scowling. All the water somehow made his flame grow bigger, therefore proving useless. Takato scowled and then swore. Now it was Juri's turn.

"Leaves! Try and tame the fire!" Juri cried, looking worried. That didn't work. Our training session was now turning from a small fight to a big problem. I noticed that Henry wasn't doing anything, he was merely watching us with cool amusement. I scowled darkly and muttered a few obscene words.

//Damned bastard! Why won't he help us? Don't tell me this is apart of our training. \\

"Oh, man! Uh, metals! Yeah, metals! Try to take some of the heat!" Kazu yelled, jumping up and down in agitation.

"What good would that do?" I asked, annoyed. The blaze was getting out of hand.

"I dunno. I thought it was a good idea." Kazu shrugged, and then his whole body went slack.

"Uh, Kazu? Kazu? KAZU SNAP OUT OF IT!" Kenta yelled, worried. Kazu did not say a word. He turned towards the fire and shouted, "Opaque Ore!" That's when I saw Henry lift his eyebrows.

All of us stared as the fire slowly turned an opaque kind of color. It slowly grew smaller and smaller, until all that was left of the humongous blaze was a small opaque ore. Henry slowly straightened from where he was leaning against the wall and walked over to us. Then he shook his head and sighed.

"Well, I knew you'd be acquiring that ability soon, but I never thought it would come from your agitation. That is very strange. Then again, you _are_ very strange." Henry smirked, as he said the last word. I grinned, and looked at Kazu who was turning a bright cherry red.

"TAKE THAT BACK! I NOTICED THAT YOU DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO HELP! SO THERE! I SAVED THE DAY! YOU SHOULD BE THANKING ME!" Kazu shouted, straining to get at Henry. Kenta leaped towards Kazu and grabbed him under the arms to hold him back.

"Kazu, please don't! Henry didn't mean anything by that!" Kenta pleaded, gasping. Henry nodded innocently. Kazu didn't say a word but he calmed down and stuck his nose in the air. I snorted, and turned towards the others who weren't saying a thing. I looked at Mel and our gazes locked. Everything around me melted away into nothingness and all I could see, hear, and think about was Mel. Unknowingly, we began to move towards each other. I felt like I was caught in a dream. A very good dream.

Closer, and closer we moved towards each other until we were holding hands.

"Mel…" I breathed.

"Ryo…" Mel whispered, looking at me.

"Mel, I-I, think, no, I know, I love you." 

"Me too…I was too scared, nervous, and unsure until now." 

"KISS HER ALREADY!" Kazu screamed. With an unpleasant jerk, I was brought back to life and fully aware of all my friends crowding around us, with a sly grin on their faces.

"Damn, it almost worked! Kazu, you idiot! Don't interrupt me again!" Henry said, glaring at Kazu. I was confused. Then it suddenly hit me. Henry had been using the 'Dream' technique on us!

//I'll get you later, Henry. Mark my words. \\ I vowed silently.

//Then again, I have to thank him for doing that. I don't think I would have been able to tell Mel that without the spell…I think. \\

However, all thoughts left my mind as Mel kissed me. I gasped, but returned the kiss. I have never been happier.

A/N: Ah, no. I think I should stop there…before my mind goes even more perverse and my young readers start to gross out…especially my sister…-_-' no offense, of course Anyhow, please Review!!! Thanks!

Shadow: Sap lover *hits Dark over the head with a mallet*

Moi: Owww…..GET BACK HERE YOU INFINITE LOSER!!!


	7. Training

A/N: Better get to the reviews fast…

Mel: Please don't kill me! I'm writing as fast as I can! I'm really busy, you know! Glad you liked it. Only reason I stopped it there was because if I went any further, my fic would have probably needed a much higher rating! Please don't kill me! *puppy dog face*

Quantum: That sucks, although I get a headache every day so I get used to it. *shrug* take some advil next time! Thanx!

Kathleen: Ooh, that sucks. Well, I hope this is soon enough for you! Sorry I didn't update sooner! -_-'

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Chapter 7: Mel's POV~

Oh. My. God. Ryo just kissed me! Well, I kissed him first but then he kissed me. I'm in heaven!

//Did that really happen? Wh-mmm…yes, yes it did! Ahh! This is great! \\

"Um, guys? Guys!" Takato shouted, blushing and staring at the same time.

"What is it?" I asked, irritably. I was _not_ happy with Takato interrupting my first kiss with Ryo.

"GET A ROOM!" Everybody, except Henry, yelled. Ryo and I blushed a deep red. Then I scowled and managed to look even more menacing than Rika when she was in a _very_ bad mood. Everybody backed up a step, including Rika and excluding Ryo.

"I should get you two for that! Luckily, Ryo actually LIKES you guys, otherwise, you wouldn't be standing here right now." I said, turning towards Ryo. Everybody, except Henry, froze. However, Rika merely smirked and said, "Come on, Mel. You know you won't be able to beat me. You never have and never will." I scowled fiercely at her, but was forced to admit it. It was true, every time Rika and I had sparred against each other, Rika always won. Ryo also always won. I scowled even more fiercely than before, causing everybody to take even more steps backwards while at the same time, causing Ryo and Rika to succumb to laughter. Thinking even more, I knew there was no way in hell I would ever defeat Henry. I sighed and wondered if there was anybody who could beat Henry. Then again, I suppose the leader Evil would be somewhat of a match for him.

"Mel? Are you OK? Hel-lo, earth to Mel!" Takato cried, waving his head in front of my face. Scowling, I slapped his hand away from my face and glared at him.

"Leave Ryo and I alone now!" I yelled, turning towards Ryo.

"Mel, calm down. We still need to train, you know. Just because you and Ryo have finally gotten together doesn't mean you can slack off! You can make-out all you want later, but not now, OK?" Henry said, softly but firmly. I sighed but agreed.

"Good. Here are the sparring couples. Juri vs. Rika, Kenta vs. Kazu, Mel vs. Ryo, Takato vs. me. OK? Try not to go easy on each other!" Henry said, glaring at all the couples.

"Wait a minute! That's not fair! You've pitted all us 'weak' ones versus the 'stronger' ones! Except Mel and Ryo, that is." Kenta cried, unhappy. I frowned, but I had to agree with him. We were unfairly matched.

Kenta's POV~

Why did Henry pair me up with Kazu?! Every single time I go against him, I always end up losing and Kazu always end up horny! I shook my head. Kazu and fighting _me_ was a bad thing. A _very_ bad thing. 

//Damn it, why couldn't Henry have paired me up with Juri or Takato? OK, maybe not Takato. Still, anybody would be better than Kazu the horny! \\

"What's wrong with fighting Kazu? Juri isn't complaining about fighting against Rika. Takato also isn't complaining either. Then again, it would be better matched up if you went against Juri, Takato went against Kazu, and Rika went against me…" Henry said, mulling thoughtfully over the new arrangements.

"Yeah! Change it to that! That is so much better matched up! Please?" I said, hopeful. Kazu shot me his 'I-know-why-you're-doing-this-and-you-aren't-going-to-get-away-with-it!' Look. Ignoring him, I turned back to Henry who looked slightly bewildered.

"O-kay then…if that's what you want, Rika vs. Mel, you vs. Juri, Takato vs. Kazu, and Ryo vs. me. Why do you not want to be paired up with Kazu so badly?" 

"You wouldn't want to be paired up with Takato either, if he was as horny as Kazu!"

Surprised and embarrassed look.

"Oh. Well, damn."

"Oh. Well, damn is right!"

"If you had told me how much you hated me doing that, you should've just told me!" Kazu spat, angry. I opened and closed my mouth like a fish. _That_ was unexpected.

"It's not…I don't…I…" I spluttered, at a loss for words. What am I doing? What was I thinking of? This sucks majorly.

"It's not, I don't, I what!?"

"Kazu! You know I don't hate it! It just gets tiring, you know? Every single time that happens, I can barely think straight the next morning!"

"Fine then! I'm leaving. Come on, Takato. Let's get to work." With that, Kazu stomped off, a dazed and bewildered Takato following him. I growled and followed suit.

"Juri, let's go." I snapped, turning angrily on my heel.

"Damn…" I heard Rika mutter behind my back. I chose to ignore her however. This was not a good day.

//Kazu is such a jackass! Why is he so insistent on being a jackass? \\ [1]

"Kenta?" Juri asked meekly.

"What!?" I snapped, not caring if I was rude or not.

"Calm down! You and Kazu shouldn't be fighting at all! Why did you have to make such a small and supposed to be private thing into such a big problem? That's stupid!" 

"Why should you care? Our argument is between me and Kazu, nobody else can interfere!"

"Oh? Then why did you go and blurt it out to us?"

"That was a mistake! That was an idiotic mistake I don't plan on making again."

"If you're still wondering as to why I care, it's because I'm your friend! Friends are supposed to help each other out! I'm not going to ignore what just happened between you and Kazu and I'm sure Takato is doing very much the same thing to Kazu as I'm doing to you! All you and Kazu are being right now is foolish! You may not think that whatever goes on between you and Kazu does not matter much to us, but you're dead wrong! We care! If you guys are hurting, then WE'RE hurting!"

*Open mouth, close mouth*

I realized what Juri said was right. Thinking back to all the times when Rika and Juri or Takato and Henry had a fight, he and Kazu had always felt guilty and hurt by those fights. 

*flashback*

"Thanks a lot, Takato. Now I know how you _really_ feel about me. I'll be going now, see you guys later," Henry snapped, walking off.

Takato and Henry had just gotten into a fight, Takato telling Henry that he was a good-for-naught elf. Naturally, or unnaturally, Henry withdrew once more into his thick as the Great Wall of China walls and was once more the distant, untouchable elf that we had known in the very beginning of our friendship. 

After Henry had left, Takato had stormed off, leaving Juri, Rika, Kazu, and I standing there, in the middle of the town square of Utopia[2]. I was immediately overcome with feelings of sadness and hurt, feelings that I knew the others would be feeling. That was how tight my friends and I were. Without a word, Rika and Ryo followed Henry while Juri, Kazu, and me followed Takato.

"Takato! Wait up, man! Slow down! Better yet, CALM DOWN!" Kazu screamed, trying in vain to catch up to Takato. 

"Takato, you big oaf! Slow down and wait up! Augh! Vines!" Juri yelled, commanding several long, strong, and thick vines to wrap around Takato, therefore effectively holding him back.

"Juri! Get these vines off of me or will I have to burn them off?!" Takato yelled, angry. All of us were appalled. Takato knew that if he did that, he would also hurt Juri since we were closely bonded with whatever our powers came from or was strongest or well, you get the picture. Luckily, we reached Takato just in time and Juri let him free. However, Takato could not run away again considering the fact that the three of us had surrounded him.

"Takato, you idiot! Calm down and start thinking, man! What you said to Henry was wrong! OK, none of us may know what the hell you guys were arguing about but whatever it is, forget about it, OK? You two love each other! You guys stick together like, like glue sticks to gum! *collective sweatdrop* eh…that didn't come out right…but you know what I mean! What you said was totally uncalled for! Why don't you go and apologize to Henry, eh chumley[3]?" Kazu gasped out, clutching Takato's shoulder for balance and to not let him get away.

"Why should I? _He_ probably doesn't care anyway! When has he ever?" Takato shot back, tears glistening in his mahogany eyes. 

"Henry cares! He cares! Look at him, why don't you?" Juri said, quietly but forcefully and pointing towards where Rika and Ryo were talking, or more like, yelling at Henry. Slowly, Takato turned to look.

Rika and Ryo were taking turns yelling/speaking/stomping at Henry. Henry's wall seemed to grow thicker and thicker, however, which, obviously, resulted in Rika finally losing her temper and releasing her Fury onto Henry. All of us winced when we heard Rika explode at Henry.

"HENRY WILL YOU STOP BEING SO WITHDRAWN INTO THE FREAKIN' SHELL OF YOURS!? WE'RE YOUR FRIENDS FOR GODS[4] SAKE! TALK TO US HERE! WE WANT TO HELP YOU BUT HOW CAN WE HELP YOU IF YOU DON'T LET US THROUGH THAT STUPID GREAT WALL OF CHINA THICK WALL OF YOURS?" Rika continued ranting on for several minutes not even needing to breathe. Finally, we could all see Henry FINALLY begin to let Rika and Ryo through. However, Rika, who didn't notice this, continued on ranting even more and with one final phrase, "HENRY LET US THROUGH BECAUSE WE'RE YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY AND WE LOVE YOU!!!" Managed to collapse Henry's wall and get through to him. Henry did not say word. He just started to cry[5]. Rika, looking at the same time proud, embarrassed, and guilty, quickly gathered him into her arms and let him cry into her shoulder. Ryo, having stood there all that time listening and watching, gently rubbed Henry's back, letting him know that he was there. That was the final straw for Takato. Breaking free of the prison made by yours truly, he ran to Henry and gathered him into his arms. Rika had let go and sidestepped just in time or else she would have been crashed into.

Nearing Takato and Henry, we heard Takato mumbling into Henry's hair, "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry…" repeatedly. Henry merely responded by clutching Takato even tighter to him. The feeling of hurt and sadness finally was lifted off of our shoulders and everything was right again.

*end flashback*

"Juri, you're right. And I'm sorry. I should apologize to Kazu, shouldn't I?" I said, fully knowing the answer. Therefore, I just walked past her and towards Kazu, who was also walking towards me. 

"Kazu…"

"Kenta…"

We stared at each other and smiled.

"I'm sorry." We said at the same time. Then we engaged in a full make-out session for several minutes before we had to surface for air. Meanwhile, there were whistles and catcalls from our friends, mainly from Rika, Mel, and Ryo.

"Come on you guys! I'd hate, I sincerely mean this, to break up your happy little get-back-together session, but we really need to train!" Henry said, apologetically. Kazu and I sent identical dark glares his way before walking off to join our sparring partners.

Nobody's POV~ Mel's and Rika's battle

"Blizzard!" Mel yelled bringing a gargantuan blizzard down onto Rika. 

"I don't think so! You're going down! Freeze Over, walk all over her!" Rika shouted. [6]

Mel's blizzard was frozen over by Rika's attack, however, Mel retaliated by sending out several ice formed snakes which Rika tried to counter attack by using her hydro spear. However, that did not work as the snakes were too fast.

"Give up yet?" Mel taunted, glaring at Rika. Rika merely shook her head.

"Not a chance, Melon! Waterfall Cascade, wash out this fight!" Rika shouted, looking slightly surprised. 

"Ooh! I TOLD you NOT to call me Melon! Waterfall Cascade? *eyes widen in surprise* That must be one of your unidentified attacks! Oh, oh no! Not again!" 

"Not bad. Not bad at all. I told you I would win." 

"*sigh* Yeah, but I thought that I would have been able to beat you! I totally wasn't expecting _that_ kind of surprise. Well, if you hadn't gained enough experience by then, I bet I would've won."

"Nope, no way, no how."

"Whatever. I'm wiped out, let's go watch the others."

"Yeah, me too. Good idea."

Juri's and Kenta's battle~

"Think again, mister!" Juri said, smiling slightly.

"What can you do to possibly defeat _moi_? The best Mystic there ever was!" Kenta said, having an ego boost. Unknown to him, over a hundred plants from within 50 miles of the area were creeping up on him.

"Go Juri!" Rika and Mel shouted, reaching the battle site. Juri smiled but did not move her gaze and concentration from the battle. Kenta looked offended but also didn't move his gaze or concentration from the battle.

"Stone Barrage!" Kenta shouted, aiming his attack straight at Juri.

"Oh no you don't!" Juri cried, as a thick wall of roses and thorns appeared in front of her, effectively blocking Kenta's attack.

"STONE BARRAGE OMEGA!"

"Uh oh…" 

"Come on Juri! You can do it!" Rika shouted, worried. Juri nodded and all at once, the plants that were behind Kenta, attacked him, breaking his concentration away from his attack.

"OW! OW! OW! THAT HURTS!" Kenta shouted, jumping up and down trying, futilely, to fend off the ever-increasing plants that were viscously attacking him. Using the precious time her plants had bought her, Juri rapidly healed herself and let out an enormous amount of power that could be felt by all her friends. Henry, who had been watching, narrowed his eyes as he felt Juri's power extend beyond her normal limit of 80 miles and stretching to 100 miles and beyond. Looking at Juri's face, he noticed that her face was entirely focused and concentrated on this one attack. With a start, he realized that all her frustration, happiness, sadness, anger, etc. had been enough to awaken the hidden technique inside of her. Knowing the potential danger if not leashed in tightly, he threw up a transparent shield nobody noticed.

"X-EARTH RAY!" Juri yelled unleashing the power that she had been building up. In one directed ray, all the Earth's essence that Juri had collected aimed straight at Kenta, obliterating everything in its path. Paling, everybody, including Juri, knew what would happen if somebody didn't do something _soon_ and _fast_. 

"Oh no…STOP, PLEASE!" Juri shouted desperately. The ray slowed and then stopped, however, it looked like as if the ray was fighting against her, trying to get loose and hit Kenta. Henry knew that Juri could not hold it any longer and leapt into action. He also knew that the transparent, but weak, shield he had thrown up wasn't going to be enough to stop the attack. Therefore, he pulled it down, letting the ray that had been momentarily stopped by Juri and his shield shoot forward once more.

"Stop!" Henry cried, jumping in front of Kenta with his hands out. The ray shimmered and disappeared, leaving only a few lingering sparkles in its wake. Everybody breathed a sigh of relief as the beam disappeared. Juri and Kenta collapsed onto the ground partly from relief and partly from fear. 

"Woah, are you guys OK?" Mel asked, concerned. Takato quickly ran to Henry, Kazu to Kenta, and Rika to Juri. 

"Yeah, I'm OK. Thanks Henry. You saved my life." Kenta stammered, ashen-faced. Henry merely nodded and stood.

"I'm OK, just a little shaken" Henry said, as Takato wrapped his arms around Henry's slim waist.

"I'm OK too, but K-Kenta….I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to do that! You have to believe me! I'm so sorry!" Juri cried, bursting into tears. Rika quickly hugged Juri closed to her as Juri turned and buried her face into Rika's shoulder. Kenta shook his head quickly and pulled himself away from Kazu's grasp.

"Juri! Please don't cry! I hate it when girls cry! It's OK! I'm OK with it! The beam didn't even touch me! Juri, it's OK, I forgive you!" Kenta gasped, hugging Juri also. Walking over, Kazu also pulled Juri into a hug.

"Juri, even I forgive you. Man, please don't cry! I hate it when girls cry too!" Kazu pleaded, his hands clasped in front of him. Juri sniffled but stopped crying.

"Y-you do? Even after what I did to you?" Juri asked, whimpering slightly.

"YES! WE DO!" Kazu and Kenta shouted, grinning although still pale. Juri smiled slightly and nodded. 

"So, if everybody is OK, I think we should stop for the rest of the day." Henry said, quietly. He still looked paler-than-usual.

"No, it's OK. We'd like to keep on training." Kenta said, looking around at everybody. Everybody nodded, excluding Henry and Kenta.

"Um, OK then. Next battle up, Takato vs. Kazu." Henry muttered, looking up at his boyfriend, who still had his arms wrapped around his waist.

"Are you sure you're OK, Henry? You still seem kind of pale and unsteady." Takato remarked, concerned. Henry shook his head again and pulled himself out of Takato's grasp.

"No really, I'm fine. Just go out there and train, okay?" Henry said, gently patting Takato on the head. Takato scowled and reached up to grab Henry's hand.

"You know I hate it when you do that! But really, you're sure you're OK?" 

"I'm positive, p-o-s-i-t-i-v-e. See? Positive."

"Alright. But if I come back and find you ummm uhhh, well, you know. I will injure you myself."

*light laughter*

"Alright, Taka-chan. I'll be fine. I swear it."

*sighs*

"OK, if you're sure." 

With that, Takato walked off with Kazu to their training area. The rest of the group followed. Henry stood there for a second, waiting for a dizziness spell to pass away, then followed them.

//I knew I shouldn't have overdone it when I stopped Juri's spell. Well, next time, I definitely won't do that until I have all my strength returned. \\

[1]: That was from a fight between my sister and I. *grins ruefully* Normally, I wouldn't have anything written like that, but it fit the mood.

[2]: Can't remember where I got that from…

[3]: Spelling? I seem to recall Kazu saying that…Am I right?

[4]: No blasphemy intended.

[5]: Sorry, couldn't help it, although Henry doesn't seem to be the crying type to me. Well, except for at the end of season 3, when all their Digimon had to leave. *sobs* That was so sad!

[6]: I like that phrase, "Walk all over him/her". Rika seemed to love saying that to Renamon during a fight.

A/N: That's it for now! Once more, please R&R!!!

Shadow: hn preview for the next chapter: "Oh, no! Henry! Watch out!!!"


	8. Traning I and Evils

A/N: The Evils are introduced! Oh, and you will see Takato vs. Kazu and Ryo vs. Henry…then again, maybe not. *evil laugh*

Shadow: *sweatdrop* Crazy ningen…

NOTE: I will answer any questions you have in the reviews, otherwise, thanks for the R&R! (This means that I won't mention all of you)

U know hu: why do I have 4 reviews of the same thing? Yeah, sure, whatever.

Mel: Hey, can you e-mail me at my new e-mail? My other one doesn't work…

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DISCLAIMER: THIS IS IN BOLD, ITALICS, AND UNDERLINED…SUPPOSED TO ANYWAY. I DO NOT OWN DIGIMON. I DO NOT OWN MEL. I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING BUT THIS STORY. CAPICHE? What's "capiche" mean anyway? Did I even spell it right?

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Chapter 8~Mysterious person's POV

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Hiss

"Your Evilness, I have located the 8 Mystic ones," whispered a thing shrouded in shadows. 

//I can smell and taste the fear and evil coming off of this young one. \\

Thought an even darker and scarier thing that was shrouded in evil, darkness, and hatred. His red eyes gleamed in the darkness that covered every inch of the dark room except for the one source of light; a fire made with red flames whose shadows danced and flickered off the walls. Instead of radiating heat, the fire, like Evil one shrouded in complete darkness, it gave off a cold and chilling feel.

"Good job. Where isss thisss hideout?" the Evil one hissed, like a snake [1].

"It is the abandoned old warehouse near the outskirts of Shinjuku [2], your Evilness," replied the dark scout promptly.

"Good. We will wait for them to come to usss."

"Very good, your Evilness."

"Go now."

The dark scout bowed on his way out. Once again left in the darkness, cold, and gloom of his chambers, the Evil one smiled evilly to himself.

"Ssoon, Henry, you will be mine. Forever!"

Cold, evil, and dark laughter could be heard throughout the whole of the Evils castle and throughout Shinjuku. Those who were awake shivered at the sound and felt that a horrible doom would be upon them soon. 

Meanwhile…

__

Shinjuku Park~ Takato's and Kazu's battle Nobody's POV

"HIYAH!!!" yelled Kazu, hitting Takato with a metal stick that had bits of Ore sticking out of it. Takato easily avoided the attack and attacked Kazu with his own attack.

"Fire TORNADO!" Takato yelled. At once, a huge cylinder of fire appeared and started spinning, as if it were out of control. Kazu paled but remained firm and immediately called up a shield. The fire, upon coming in contact with the ore shield Kazu had created, disappeared, leaving charred ground in its wake.

"Phew…" Kazu wiped his sweaty brow with one hand. 

//Damn. When Takato fights, he fights! Got to get this over with as quick as possible if I don't want to end up as a barbecued Kazu! \\

"Opaque Ore! Metal Sword!" Kazu shouted, a fine edged blade appearing in one hand glowing with an opaque color.

"Combining our attacks, are we? That won't help you at all! Fire Shield, Ice Wind, and FireIce STORM!" Takato yelled, bringing his hands together. A shield made entirely of Fire suddenly appeared around him while an ice-cold breeze started, giving the FireIce storm more power, strength, and speed. 

"OpaqueOre and MetalStone Barrage!"

With a resounding _BOOM_, the two powerful attacks hit each other dead on and everybody was engulfed in a bright white light. (A/N: Bright white light. It RHYMES! Go me! *does happy dance and is hit on the head with a now freed Shadow* Hey! Whaddya do that for? _Shadow: Duh. For tying me up in a chair while you were chatting with your friend._ Hey! I'll get you for that! Now, back to the fic.) When everybody could see again, all they saw was a big cloud of smoke. Coughing, Rika created a gentle rainstorm to clear the smoke away faster and to put out any possible fires.

//Thank God Henry enchanted this place so nobody could come, hear, or see us training. If he didn't, we'd be in trouble. \\ Rika thought savagely.

"Woah…That was unexpected, eh?" Kazu said, still slightly shocked that they were able to create such strong attacks. Takato merely nodded in reply, his wings stretching out to there full extension. Apparently, somewhere during the explosion, Takato had changed a bit into the dragon he really was, therefore allowing him to protect the others. Kazu watched apprehensively as Takato quickly changed back into his human form. It looked painful.

"Should we continue this fight?" Kazu asked Takato, hoping for a "no".

Takato raised his eyebrow at him and said, "Are you expecting a 'no'? If so, then you've got one. The fight is over, alright? It's a tie."

Kazu nodded thankfully along with the others. 

"Then I suppose it's Henry's and my turn then," Ryo stated, matter-of-factly.

Henry nodded and walked with Ryo to the same space as Kazu and Takato fought. The Earth was now healed again, thanks to Juri and her Earth abilities.

"Ready, Set, Fight!" Kazu yelled. [3]

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Evil's Castle: The Ruler Evil's POV

My eyes snapping open with a start, I immediately felt a faint trace of power that briefly rose and disappeared.

//Whoever tried to mask the power isn't doing a very good job. Of course, unless they did it just to keep it from humans… Yes, that must be it. \\

"Hmmm… Those mystics must not know where our hideout is…That must mean Henry does not know either!" The Evil Lord cackled, evilly. (A/N: Lame, yes. Slow, yes. Handsome, hell yeah! Shadow: *facefaults* hn….)

Closing my eyes, I left my body like a spirit does and transported right over to the Park where the power was centered. Knowing that although 7 of the 8 Mystics could not see me, I still hid, for the 8th child was the only one who could see, sense, hear, touch, and attack me. Luckily, Henry, the 8th child, did not notice me, as he was to busy in making sure his friends were okay after the explosion that had alerted me that something was going on.

//So they're training for the upcoming battle. *frowns* However, I doubt Henry's little friends know about the prophecy…Henry might, but it is highly unlikely. Only the elders and the evils know about the prophecy. Then why would they know to train? They could be having fun, but I doubt that they really are. Who would use so much power when playing? *shakes head* No. They must be just playing. \\

As I waited a bit longer to see what would happen, my mind became distracted as my gaze fell on Henry. 

//Gods, he's beautiful! \\

Long pale limbs, softly shining midnight blue hair, bottomless silver eyes that could see right to your soul…*grins evilly* 

"You will soon be mine, Henry," I whispered as I silently left. Yes, Henry WILL belong to me and that damned boyfriend of his will be history and forever writhing in torment in my cold, dank, and dark dungeons.

__

Back to the others: Nobody's POV

Henry suddenly shuddered, feeling an immensely dark presence in the area. He also had the feeling that he was being watched. Briefly scanning the area with his mind, he found the dark presence and froze.

//It can't be! Damn, I should have known that the Evils would have scouts to find us! However, what is He doing here? More importantly, why is he watching me? \\

"Henry! Hey, Henry! You ready to start the battle?" Ryo asked, slightly concerned at his friend's behavior. Mentally shaking himself, Henry nodded and got into position.

"Once more, Ready! Set! Fight!" Kazu shouted energetically.

Mentally, Henry rolled his eyes. Kazu could be very eccentric sometimes.

//And they say that eccentricity means you're a genius. Whoever said that didn't take Kazu in account. \\

"Lightning Shocker!" Ryo cried pointing at Henry.

"Give me a break," Henry muttered. He was definitely _not_ in the mood for a battle. However, he knew that Ryo wanted to train and that he, himself, should train too. 

"Light Arrow!" Henry cried, as a bow and an arrow, which was made out of light, formed in his hands. Without bothering to check his aim, Henry pointed the arrow at Ryo and let loose.

__

Swish

The light arrow streaked across the open distance between Ryo and Henry, disintegrating Ryo's attack and going on straight for Ryo. 

"Hurricane shield!" 

Henry sighed. He was really getting bored. However, Ryo must be bored too, since he really didn't need to use such a strong shield. When the light arrow hit the hurricane shield, a small explosion could be heard and then the arrow disappeared. Henry quickly took this time and launched a Fire based attack.

"Fire Phoenix!" An enormous Red Dragon made out of flames appeared and charged at Ryo. Ryo didn't even blink.

"Wind and Lightning Horse!"

The two elemental type animals started attacking each other, neither one letting up and both refusing to back down. (A/N: Reminds you of Beyblade, doesn't it?) Suddenly, Henry called back his Phoenix and Ryo's horse, unable to stop its stampede, ran straight at Henry. 

"Oh no! Henry! Watch out!" Takato screamed desperately worried.

There was a bright flash of light and then…

1: I was thinking of Voldemort when I wrote this.

2: The tamers live in Shinjuku, right? Or is it Odaiba? I can't remember.

3: *smirks* I don't own that phrase. It belongs to "Zoids". *sighs* Wish I did though, sort of.

A/N: *laughs evilly* I was trying to make a cliff-hanger, but I don't think I did a very good job on it. Besides, my friend would have killed me if I didn't finish this soon. Therefore, this is a relatively short chapter but I promise I'll make up for it in a later chapter. *mutters darkly* Besides, I have some things going on in my life right now that I really need a break from. 

__

Shadow: *sighs softly* You know, the beginning part of the song, In the Night when the Moon Smiled, fits you very well right now. Please read and review!


	9. The Prophecy and Mel

A/N: Comment ça va? Ah! Bien, bien ou mal! ^_^ Parle vous français? Non? WELL THEN. I'll have to stick to anglais, wouldn't I? *smirk* You want to know what I said? Too bad. I'm not going to tell you. Nyah-nyah

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Shadow: ugh when will you ever grow up! Never! _*rolls eyes* stupid girl… _Are you being sexist? _No. I'm just dissing you. _YOU WATCH WHAT YOU SAY! Thanks to all my reviewers! Now, to go beat up Shadow…*graps a pencil and starts poking Shadow* Sorry I haven't updated in a long while! The internet connection wasn't working so I couldn't do anything! _Except torture me._ Yeah, except that. *grins* 

**__**

DISCLAIMER: DO I LOOK LIKE I OWN DIGIMON?

Chapter 9: Mel's POV

"Henry!" Takato yelled as we watched the fire-horse charge straight at Henry, going too fast to be able to stop. Henry didn't even acknowledge us. He merely watched the flames rush towards him. For a moment there, I thought that Henry was just too scared to be able to move away on time. I immediately brushed that thought away however. Henry is just too strong that such an attack like this must seem petty in his mind's eye. However, he didn't do anything. He just _stood_ there, unmoving and unblinking. As the flames got closer, the rest of us started screaming our lungs out.

"Henry! Watch out!"

"Oh my god!"

"Move, Henry!"

"Henry! Move! Please"

"HENRY! NO!" Takato yelled as the flames engulfed Henry.

//No…Henry! This isn't happening! Oh Seraphymon! (Dunno who they would pray to so I took an Angel digimon from Season 4, if you haven't noticed.) Please don't let Henry die! He means so much to us and is the only one who can figure out the prophecy and help it come true! \\

__

*flashback*

"Mom, what's all this talk about a 'prophecy'? I don't get it." A young looking Mel said, tugging on an older version of her. The older version of Mel, her mother, reached down and gently patted Mel on her head. 

"The 'prophecy'? From whom did you hear about that?" Mel's mother questioned.

"From grandma. She was telling me a story how several thousand years ago, when the Evils and the Mystics was divided, a prophecy was foretold. The prophecy is supposed to be about the end of the Evils and how it will come to be," Mel said innocently. Her young and innocent face was now focused intently on her mother, fully expecting the truth. Mel's mother sighed. How in the world were you supposed to tell your own child how she would end up dying? If she lived that long.

"Well, for starters, this prophecy does tell about the end of our race, the Evils. However, it also tells how the end of the Mystic's savior shall die, too. Did Grandma tell you the prophecy?" 

"No, she didn't. She just mentioned something about the 'prophecy' and the end of us." 

Mel's mother sighed again. Oh boy. This was going to be complicated.

"Mel honey, you should wait until you're older before you hear about this, okay?"

"NO! I wanna hear it now! Pwease! I wanna hear it now!!!"

"Hun, I think you should tell her the prophecy at least. You don't have to explain it," a deep and masculine voice drifted to Mel and her mother's ears.

"Daddy! You're home!" Mel shrieked, running to her father who was currently the Evil Lord's second-in-command. Mel's father laughed as he caught Mel in his arms and twirled her around in the air.

"Hi hun. Good day at work?" Mel's mother asked coming to take Mel from her tired husband's arms.

"Not too bad. The prophecy was brought up again. The new advisor is still worried about it. For all we know, the prophecy shouldn't come true until a few thousand years later. Frankly, I don't see how this 'Angel' character will be able to do anything against us," Mel's father said, grimly.

"I know, but I suppose some people still think it's going to happen now. You can't really blame the advisor though. Don't forget that it was one of the Evil Lord's advisor who told us the prophecy in the first place."

During the whole exchange, Mel had been listening, her eyes growing wider and wider. Finally, unable to hold still and keep her silence any longer, she burst out, "You mean one of the Evil Lord's own_ advisor predicted our end? What is the prophecy anyway?"_

Mel's father nodded grimly.

"That's why so many Evil's have disappeared. They have either killed themselves or gone over to the Mystic side, hoping to spared our fate that has been predicted for us several thousand years ago."

Mel's eyes opened even further and her mouth opened into a tiny "o". 

"But what's the prophecy? What does it say? Huh? Huh? Huh?" Mel asked impatiently, squirming in her mother's grasp. Her mother gently set Mel on the floor and sat down on the forest green couch nearby.

"The prophecy says this:

1000 years after the Massacre,

A group of seven shall reunite.

Brought together by Darkness and Light,

Torn apart again by Evil and Hatred.

Found once more by Fire and Lightning,

Evil shall rise,

And The Uprising shall begin.

Thus the fate of the world,

Will be decided in the Final Battle,

With Darkness and Light triumphant,

Along with Fire, Water, Ice, Metal, Earth, Wind, Mountain, and Evil turned Good.

But triumph will come with a great cost,

For the Angel's life will be lost.

...

"The rest of the prophecy was burned away and the scholars who had memorized the thing all died. It was as if whoever caused the Evil Lord's late advisor to say the prophecy in the first place didn't want anybody to know the rest after, 'For the Angel's life will be lost',"

Mel's eyes were now practically bugging out of her head. 

"See honey? Whoever had foretold this prophecy and passed it onto the Evil Lord's advisor must have really known what was going to happen or that the person was extremely mad (Insane, people, insane)_," Mel's mother said, a dark look crossing her normally passive and beautiful features._

Mel nodded and a great silence took over the normally cheery room.

*end flashback*

Mel quickly shook her head, ridding herself of thoughts back when she was an Evil. Yes, she Mel had been an Evil. However, all that had changed when she was kicked out of her own home when her parents found out that she was somehow, half vampire. 

//Sucks being half-vampy sometimes. I wonder if Ryo knows…No, he can't know. I've never told him before. Nobody knows I'm an Evil-turned-Good and a half-vamp. Unless of course, Henry knows… \\

Looking up, I noticed Ryo staring at the fire he had created. He had the most horrified and terrified look I have ever seen. The flames had completely engulfed Henry and were raising hire and hire into the evening sky. (Yes, it's evening) Takato was screaming, crying, and whimpering, believing Henry to be dead. Juri was hugging Takato tightly to prevent him from doing something stupid. Rika was crying silently staring at the flames with a painful look. Kazu and Kenta were both bawling their eyes out and clutching onto each other.

"This can't be happening…" I whispered, tears streaming down my face. It was too soon. I can't lose a new friend. Especially one like Henry. Looking all around me, all I saw were tears, sadness, and anger. The strangest things though, were the plants and the evening sky. They plants bloomed even bigger than before and the evening sky was clearer than ever. 

//Wait a minute. Shouldn't the Earth be crying since Henry seems to be the one foretold about in the prophecy? Unless Henry isn't dead at all… \\

Looking back towards the flames, I noticed a slight form within the flames. Could it be that Henry wasn't dead after all? Seraphymon, please let it be that Henry is still alive! We need him!

A/N: So, what did you think? Tell me tell me tell me! I have got to know what you thought about the prophecy though…It took me a long time to come up with it. I also had it in French, but I wasn't sure if all the words were correct. Some parts of it were correct, but not sure about the rest. Read and Review!

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	10. Torn Apart by Evil

12/31/02

A/N: Thank you for all the reviews! I have Writer's block as you all know so I'll be trying my best to write! 

Shadow: Nobody will want to read this. *reading a magazine*

Me: ;_; R-Really? Please read! Oh, and Happy New Year!

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN DIGIMON, YYH, OR DBZ! Although I wish I did. Not, DBZ though. 

~…~: sounds

//…\\: Character thoughts

(…): Author notes

Chapter 10~ Nobody's POV

As everybody watched on in sadness, anger, and worry, they noticed the flames slowing changing colors. First black, then silver, and finally, white. Through the white flames, a figure could be seen making unreadable signs. 

~WHOOSH~

"What the…" Kazu yelled, raising his arms to try to block the flames from scorching him.

The flames had suddenly blown apart, revealing Henry in the middle, safe and sound. (I bet you expected that.) Forming symbols again, Henry gained control of the flames and created a cage of flames around the group.

Mel's POV~

Tensing, I sensed several evil/darker ki's surrounding us. (I am taking a leaf out of DBZ and YYH) Immediately, I could tell that Evils were nearby. Calming down, I reached out my own ki and brushed gently against our _visitors_. 

//Well, I'll be damned. Whaddya know? It's twiddle-dee-dee and twiddle-dee-dum (Alice In Wonderland, people!) Aka, dumb and dumber, aka Brian and Bryant. The two twins of Evil (that doesn't sound right, ya know), stupidity, and sheer Evil power. \\

"MEL! Hello? Answer me!" Kazu yelled, shaking me. Irritated, I shoved him away from me.

"On your guard, idiots! We have some company! Evil company," I snapped, shifting into a fighting position. The group immediately switched from faintly annoyed to defensive and ready.

"Careful you guys, these are S class Evils! (Yes, that is also from YYH. Did I forget to mention how much I love YYH?)" Rika cried, narrowing her eyes and forming an ice spear in her hand. 

Scowling, I yelled at the terrible two and said, "Come out, Brian and Bryant! We know you're here so you'd better come out and face us! Of course, unless you're too scared…"

Two forms jumped out of the shadows and stood in front of us, examining us carefully. Brian was tall and slender, with spiky brown hair and piercing green eyes. He was wearing blue and lots of it. A blue trenchcoat, muscle shirt (exactly what is a muscle shirt?), tennis shoes, socks, jeans, and a blue chain that wrapped around Brian's middle. 

Bryant, on the other hand, was wearing a lot of green. Same as his twin, but everything in green with a baseball cap. He too had spiky brown hair and green eyes.

"Why, hello there Mel! Fancy seeing you here. How'd you get _them_ to trust _you?_ After all, you _did_ betray your own family! Not to mention your own race," Brian said, smirking.

"Mel, what's he talking about? What are you hiding from us?" Ryo asked me, upset. I immediately felt ashamed and guilty and lowered my head.

"Oh my god Mel! You haven't TOLD them yet? How you are actually an Evil and not a Mystic? How you spent years spying on them and giving us their secrets? I don't believe you! How could you not tell your friends that? Much less your own boyfriend!" Bryant said, feigning surprise while thoroughly enjoying this.

//Those bastards! They are so dead! \\

//Mel! No! Don't you dare attack them! \\

//What the? Henry!? Is that you? \\

//Yes, it's me. \\

//Why can't I attack them!? \\

//Because, they are telling the truth and you are only attacking them out of anger and fury. Don't you see? That's exactly what they're trying to do! They're taunting you so you'll attack them! \\

//… \\

Damn, why did Henry always have to be right? How does HE know that the terrible two are telling the truth anyway? Oh, yeah. I forgot. He knows everything.

//No, I don't, actually. I had a hint that you weren't pure Mystic and had Evil in you, but I couldn't figure out why. \\

//GET OUTTA MY HEAD!!! Please? \\

*Quiet laughter inside Mel's head*

//Sorry. \\

//No, you're not. \\

No answer.

"Shut up, bastards! You have no right coming here and blabbing out my private life to everyone!" I screamed, furious.

"Mel…" Ryo whispered, looking lost, confused, hurt, and angry. Mentally, I winced and prayed that Ryo would still love me even after this.

"Oh really now? So I guess it was OK for you to go ahead and betray your own family and race but it's not OK for us to blab about your not-so-secret past, huh," Brian said, glaring at me. Unfortunately, he had a point but there was no way in hell would I ever admit that. 

"Why don't you two just leave? There is nothing here for you to discover and bring back to your Master," Henry said, icily.

"Oh no, we can't do that! Our Great Lord wants YOU, Henry, to come join us. If you join us, you'll gain ultimate power and also have a hand in ruling over the land of Evil and control all Mystics. So what do you say? If it's no, then we'll have to destroy you," Bryant snapped, getting back to business.

Coolly, Henry crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against a tree. Briefly closing his eyes, he seemed to be deep in thought. 

//Well? What is he waiting for? He isn't seriously considering joining them, is he? Dammit Heny! Make up your freakin' mind already! \\

//MEL! \\

Startled, I jumped and looked frantically around me. Brian and Bryant narrowed their eyes and reached out their ki to see what could have disturbed me. Henry took that opportunity to throw a shield around us and attack.

"WHAT THE HECK!?" Brian screamed. He was, literally, on fire. Bryant quickly doused out his twin with water and whipped around to glare at Henry.

"So that's who it's going to be, is it? Fine then. You're no match for us!" Bryant snapped.

"Want to bet? You're mine, greenie!" Rika shouted joyfully.

//She seriously needs to get out more. \\

"Everybody let's go!" Brian shouted, bringing his arm down to point down at the ground. (Think of Mr. Referee in Medabots.)

All at once, many more Evils popped out of the shadows. Immediately, they threw their attacks at us but their attacks sizzled out on contact with Henry's shield he had put up earlier. 

//Henry! Bring that shield down now! \\ I screamed in my mind at Henry. Flinching from the volume of my screams in his mind, he quickly brought the shield down to allow our volley of attacks straight at the Evils. However, the Evils noticing Henry's slight hesitation because he was still slightly out of it (remember the scream in his mind? Think of it, it must've hurt like heck!), threw a magical net around it that was laced through with the Evil Lord's power. Henry threw a shield around him and started to attack the net with all his might but all his efforts were in vain.

"Henry! You-you bastards! Attacking someone when they aren't even ready!" Takato yelled, growing in size. My eyes widened as I realized that Takato was shifting to his true form. 

//Ah, shit. \\

"Blizzard!" I yelled even as I backed away from Takato. Several Evils were successfully frozen and Ryo finished them off with his own lightning attack.

"Hydro Spear!" Rika yelled, launching an extremely sharp and cold spear at Bryant.

"I don't think so! Steel Malice!" Bryant cried, launching his own attack at Rika. 

The two attacks crashed into each other, canceling each other out. When the dust cleared, Rika could be seen with an ice sword in her hands striking down at Bryant.

"AHHHHH!!!" Bryant cried, as Rika's sword sliced cleanly through him. Both halves of Bryant stood there for a minute before toppling over. His face would be forever contorted into an image of pain, fury, and pure terror. Shivering slightly, I marked myself with the symbol of 'Light' and hurried off to finish other opponents. 

//I hope I'll never have to kill like that. \\

"RROAWR!" Takato roared, sweeping his tail around easily killing off half of the Evils. Trying not to get hit by Takato's tail, I didn't notice the net that was descending around me until too late.

"AHH!" I screamed, accidentally touching the net. Strong currents of Evil power ran through my veins and body like electricity. It was as if I was being electrocuted.

"Mel! Oh no!" Rika cried, just as another net descended around her, trapping Juri along with her. 

"Kenta! Behind you!" Kazu yelled fending off his own attackers.

"Wha-?" Kenta muttered, turning around and throwing up a shield just in time.

"Stay away from me, you Evil freaks! Hiyah!" Kazu shouted, kicking an Evil in the face, cracking his (the Evil's), skull on the rock behind him. "Oh yeah! I rule! DAMMIT!"

"Kazu you idiot! You should've kept your guard up!" Kenta shouted angrily.

"Kenta! Watch your back!" Ryo shouted at Kenta just as a net descended over an unsuspecting Kenta.

"LET MY FRIENDS GO RIGHT THIS INSTANT!" Takato yelled, enraged. He let out a river of molten lava that killed all Evils who did not manage to move in time.

Eyes flashing dangerously, Brian raised his arms up and chanted, "La pluie, la glace, sleet, et vigoureux! Me venir et me donne votre pouvoir! Relâchement!" (you can find the translation at the bottom of this chapter, by the way.)

Brian thrust out his arms at Takato (Think of DBZ and when they attack) and released a sheet of rain, ice, hail, and sleet; effectively freezing Takato causing him to transform back into his human form. However, the damage was already done. Takato had decimated all but three Evils. There were not enough Evils to be able to capture Ryo and Takato since Ryo had taken up a protective position over Takato.

"Take one more step and I swear none of you will live to see the next sunrise," Ryo hissed, eyes flashing dangerously. The air around him started to crackle with energy and flashes of light could be seen in his aura. Lightning also crackled across Ryo's arms and up and down his body. One foolish Evil took a step towards Ryo and all that was left of him was a pile of dust. Ryo had attacked the Evil with his most famous, and powerful, attack; Heaven's Lightning. (Crappy name, ne?)

//Stupid Evil. I'm so sorry Ryo…I'm so sorry I didn't tell you the truth about me. I bet you hate me now but, please, please forgive me… \\ I whispered in my mind, struggling to stay awake.

//Mel, I forgive you and I could never hate you. I love you too much for that, Mel! Oh Seraphymon, please hang on Mel! Don't leave me, please! Mel? Mel! \\ 

//Ryo, thank you, and I love you too. Do me a favor and get Takato out of here! Then come and rescue us but when you do, don't kill ALL the Evils. Leave some for me! I love you, Ryo. \\ I managed to send back to Ryo, before collapsing onto the ground, my vision darkening.

_"Mel, I love you and I swear I'll get you back no matter what the cost!" _was the last thing I heard in from Ryo as I finally fell unconscious and Ryo teleported away with Takato.

A/N: Oh no! What are going to happen to them now? *laughs evilly* I finally got rid of my Writer's Block have way through this chapter! Okay, now to enlighten you on…parts of this chapter. First off! 

The levels of Evils and Mystics: Remember I mentioned something about "master level" for Mystics? Yeah, well Evil levels are classified as "classes". Like in YYH. Here, I'll give you the level line-up for both Mystics and Evils:

MysticEvil

PreliminaryA class

Pre-juvenileB class

JuvenileC class

NoviceS- class

IntermediateS class

JuniorS+ class

SeniorS++ class

MasterQuest class

(I took most of these from figure skating)(I took most of these from YYH. Others, I made up)

Mel, since she comes from Evil lineage but is now a Mystic since she defaulted to that side, would be at Senior level Mystic and S++ class Evil. 

"La pluie, la glace, sleet, et vigoureux! Me venir et me donne votre pouvoir! Relâchement!" translates to: Rain, ice, sleet, and hale! Come to me and give me your power! Release!

;_; I'm so sorry, Henry, Mel, Rika, Juri, Kenta, and Kazu! It's going to get better, I promise!

Henry: Yeah, right. -_-' Why do I have to be the one everybody wants? Can't it be Takato or somebody else? 

Me: But, but you're so adorable and such a wonderful person to torture! ^_^

Takato: Aw, Henry! Come on, I'll make you feel better! *grabs Henry and runs of to who-knows-where to do you-know-what*

Me: Anybody else have any complaints about their part in my fic so far? *looks around and sees Rika and Juri playing tonsil hockey while Rika is giving me a death glare* Ookay…. Kenta? Kazu? What about you guys? _Where_ are you guys? *frantically looks around for them and hears some-sounds coming from a closet* O.O I do not want to know. I seriously don't. Ryo? Mel? How about you two? 

Mel: I'm okay!

Ryo: Me too!

*the two of them start French kissing, happily oblivious to everybody else*

Me: ;_; I'm all alone! *hugs YuGiOh! deck and Shadow to herself* 

Shadow: O.O LET GO OF ME, ONNA! (Wufei!) I SAID _LET_ _GO_! JAOU ENSATSU KO…

Me: eeps! OK! OK! Don't you _dare_ use that in here! *grabs a katana and starts chasing Shadow* Read and review, peoples! Thanx


	11. Uh oh! Captured!

A/N: I'm baaack! For anyone who cares. Thanks to all my reviewers! Oh, and thanx to all my new reviewers too! On to the story!

Shadow: Not yet, you dope.

Huh? Why not?

Shadow: Disclaimer time.

Why?

Shadow: Do not question me!

Oh fine…

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN DIGIMON.

…- Character thoughts. I was becoming increasingly tired of seeing those / \ so I decided to change it. Plus, it was giving me a headache

*…*- Character actions

Happy?

Shadow: Very

Chapter 11-Introduction (tell me if you like the intros)

Darkness was everywhere. It enveloped everything in the small, claustrophobic room. Nothing escaped it, except for six glowing balls of white and silver, blue, white-blue, green, brown, and gray. Upon closer inspection, you can tell that these balls of light are actually humans-or human-like creatures. 

NOW it's the story:

Mel slowly opened her eyes and glanced blearily around her. Everything was fuzzy and swirling around her in dizzying circles and spirals.

"Ugh…will everything PLEASE stop spinning? I am sooo gonna kick someone's ass for giving me this killer headache," Mel groaned, closing her eyes. She re-opened them again when nobody answered yet this time, her eyes were clearer than before.

_Where am I? More importantly, WHO am I? Even more important, I REALLY should be laying off those books… *looks down at clothing* No way. This cannot be happening. My jacket…it's ruined! That was my favorite jacket! At least the rest of my clothing seems intact…pants a little roughed up, shirt dirty and slightly ripped, shoes OK, jacket RUINED, hair…messed up but I'm still alive in one piece. _

Mel's ears perked up as she caught the sound of a faint rustling noise somewhere to the left of her. A second later, a feminine groan (ok, can groans actually sound feminine, or masculine?) came after the rustling noise. Mel held her breath anxiously, staring at the darkened figure laying to her right. Too weak to move, she could only hope that the female was either Juri or Rika and not an enemy.

"Oh Seraphymon (1)…Where am I?" muttered a familiar voice.

"Rika! Thank Seraphymon you're all right! Can you move?" Mel asked, concerned and struggling to move. 

Rika swore softly and long.

"Yeah, I can move. I wasn't hurt too badly, surprisingly," Rika muttered trying to get her bearings. "Have you located the others?"

"Yeah, we're all in the same cell. But it's too dark to see anything right now, even with the natural light our bodies normally give off…or normally in your case, and abnormally in my case. (2) Sorry".

"Ah, it's not a problem. Where are the two dorks?"

"That's, rude, Rika! I think they're on my left side, but I'm not quite sure".

"Well, since my initial dizziness is gone, I think I'll see if I can explore more of this…cell. Do you need any help?"

"No, thanks. Wait!"

"What?"

"Henry! Oh Seraphymon, where's Henry! He's the reason we were attacked in the first place, remember? You have to find him Rika!"

"Calm down, Mel! I'm sure he's OK. He knows how to take care of himself."

"Yeah, you're right…"

"Ugh…What's with all the high-pitched girly whispering? Can't a guy get some decent sleep around here?" Kazu, yes Kazu, asked, annoyed.

"Oh great. -_- Kazu's awake." Rika muttered, unhappily yet relieved.

"Now, Rika! Be nice!" Mel said, amused.

"Oh great. I'm stuck in a dark, damp, and SCARY BEYOND BELIEF place with not one, but TWO, annoying girls!" Kazu sighed unhappily.

Mel and Rika looked at each other, their eyes glinting in the faint glow. They communicated between each other and upon closer observation, you can see that the one message said, "Let's get him".

"Girls? Uh, girls? You can go away now! *gasps* Noooo!" Kazu yelled silently.

"Rika, Mel, I'd appreciate it if you'd stop scaring my boyfriend," A matter-of-fact voice said somewhere to our side. 

"Kenta? Oh, you're awake. Funny, when we wake up, the light that our body originally emanates is stronger than when we're unconscious…" Rika mused thoughtfully.

"Of course, silly! That's because our body has natural defense mechanisms that allow us to automatically hide or whatever!" Laughed a light, high-pitched, and airy voice said somewhere to Rika's right.

"Juri! You're OK! Are you hurt? Do you need help? Do you-" Rika was abruptly cut off as Juri's hand covered her mouth. 

"I'm fine, Rika. I was barely touched during the fight. Oh Mel!" Juri gasped horrified. Upon seeing Mel, she had noticed the numerous cuts and lacerations that adorned Mel's body.

Moving closer to the circle of bright light the currently five awakened friends, she immediately began to heal Mel's wounds.

"No, Juri! I'm-ouch! -Fine! You really-ouch! Watch it! - Don't need to do this! OW!" Mel cried, gasping in pain. Juri ignored her, however and continued to work away at Mel's wounds. Meanwhile, Rika, Kazu, and Kenta could not stop laughing. Not even stopping or looking up, Juri said, "When I'm done with Mel over here, the three of you will be next!"

"We-" Kenta managed to only insert in one word before-

"No matter how unhurt you are!" Juri snarled, looking extremely _scary_ for that one moment. A second later, all you could see was her originally sweet smile. Light laughter echoed through the cell as the last glowing ball woke.

"You guys are hilarious, even when we're in a very serious situation," Henry said, amusement lacing his voice.

"Oh Seraphymon! Henry, you look horrible!" Rika gasped, her eyes widening in horror. Henry gave her a tired smile but said nothing.

His midnight blue hair was covered in dirt and grime, his pale face paler than usual, his clothes were ripped, torn, and bloodied every which way, and there was a deep gash, in the shape of a cross (Ruroni Kenshin! *squeals*) underneath his right eye, giving him a dangerous look.

All his cuts were still oozing out blood and the bruises he received stood out on his once fair and pale skin. He looked like as if he had been through hell and back! Henry opened his mouth to say something but was immediately arrested in a coughing fit that seemed to last forever.

"Are you alright?" Kazu asked, concerned. Dull silver eyes with barely any spark in them looked up at him. 

"Yeah", was the breathless and soft reply? The others barely heard his reply. 

"What?" came the expected response from Kazu?

Henry sighed, looking for the entire world, tired and old.

"I'm fine. You don't need to wor-" Once more, Henry was cut off by another coughing fit. This one seemed worse than before. His entire all-too thin frame was shaking underneath the pressure and pain caused by the coughing. After several minutes of coughing, Henry's coughs finally subsided, leaving him gasping for breath and doubled up in pain. Juri immediately moved to his side. After several futile attempts, Henry gave up on trying to shove Juri away and succumbed to his exhaustion and Juri's healing.

"Is he going to be alright?" Mel asked, eyes dark with worry and apprehension. It was obvious she didn't have much dealing with a close friend that hurt, although she used to be on the side of Evil. Juri didn't answer, mainly focused on healing Henry. Instead, Rika answered for her.

"Yeah, he's gonna be fine," Rika whispered, not adding, "I hope" to make the statement true. Juri's power could only go so far and by the looks of it, Henry was going to need a lot of healing. Rika wasn't sure if Juri would be able to hold up under so much pressure. Especially considering Henry was, is one of her closest friends and family.

By now, beads of sweat were beginning to form on Juri's brow, and her normally peachy complexion was rapidly turning a sickly white. Rika worriedly took this all in, including the fact that Juri's hands were beginning to shake underneath the strain of her healing and the normally bright glow (let's call it an aura, shall we?) was fading.

If Juri's aura is fading, that means Henry is hurt more than we thought and she's nearing the end of her power resources! What am I going to do! 

All of a sudden, Juri's aura disappeared completely, along with Henry's aura. A shocked silence lasted about a second before Rika flew over to Juri's side and picked her up.

"Juri! JURI! Oh, wake up, please! Don't die on me, Juri, you hear? You CAN'T die on me! Please wake up!" Rika cried, tears falling down her face. Mel narrowed her eyes in worry and sympathy as she went to check on Henry.

Hmmm That's funny. I can still feel Henry and Juri's auras but I can't see them…I wonder what's-Oh Seraphymon help us! We have…
    
    
    Did I explain the use of Seraphymon's name to anyone? Wasn't sure who'd they swear to so decided to use Season 4 angel digimon…
    A/N: Ok, see that button down there? That's your best friend! It says "Go" next by a long box that says "Submit Review". Those three words are your best friends! Be nice! ^_^ Any flames will be used for my entertainment, I'm very sadistic, you know. *slightly insane look* 


	12. all healed

A/N: Thank you for all the reviews! Especially to my new reviewer! Thanks!

…: thoughts

(…): A/N

I don't own Digimon -_- unfortunately 

Previously~

If Juri's aura is fading, that means Henry is hurt more than we thought and she's nearing the end of her power resources! What am I going to do! 

All of a sudden, Juri's aura disappeared completely, along with Henry's aura. A shocked silence lasted about a second before Rika flew over to Juri's side and picked her up.

"Juri! JURI! Oh, wake up, please! Don't die on me, Juri, you hear? You CAN'T die on me! Please wake up!" Rika cried, tears falling down her face. Mel narrowed her eyes in worry and sympathy as she went to check on Henry.

Hmmm That's funny. I can still feel Henry and Juri's auras but I can't see them…I wonder what's-Oh Seraphymon help us! We have…

Chapter 12~

"…to move away from them! Rika, get away from Juri NOW!" Mel cried, yanking Rika away from Juri's prone body.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, woman? Have you gone mad!?" Kazu angrily asked.

"Shut up and GET DOWN ON THE GROUND!" Mel shouted, going vampiric on him, suddenly. Kazu immediately dropped to the ground, cowering in fear, as everybody else followed suit. A second later, two bursts of light came forth from Henry's and Juri's bodies. 

A second later, the light disappeared and revealed Henry and Juri fully healed and fully energized. Henry groaned and slowly opened his eyes.

"Weren't I dead?" Henry asked, looking confused. Juri nodded and moved over to check Henry over.

"Well, not exactly, but almost. Juri healed you. Are you two OK?" Rika asked, concern coloring her voice. Henry nodded.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Henry, you're fine. Just slightly weak." Juri stated, finished checking Henry over. "What do we do now?"

"That's the easy part. We wait for them to come," Mel stated grimly. Henry nodded but didn't say anything. The others looked worried and uneasy.

"Mel, you have some explaining to do. *a casual shrug* Since we have time, you might as well tell us about your past and true self." Rika said, coolly looking at Mel. Mel sighed and lowered her head as she sat on the ground, her back against the wall.

"I might as well. I'm not a Mystic, as you obviously know now. I was, no, AM an Evil. In fact, I was born into one of the most powerful family. My father, he worked under his Eminence (1) himself. My mother, she also worked under the Lord. Actually, to tell the truth, they were a lord and lady in his personal court. That made me a lady too. However, for some reason, I never supported his Eminence. He was so cruel to his subjects, even those who were devoted and loyal to him, like my parents. Whenever anybody did something wrong or didn't agree with his Eminence, they would be put to death. Those in his personal court would be tortured though. My father, he made a mistake once and when he came home, he was confined to bed for several months. His Eminence had hurt him that badly. From then on, I despised his Eminence with a great hatred but I couldn't do anything about it. So I trained.

"I trained hard and long in order to grow more powerful. I had vowed to myself that one day, I would be strong enough to overthrow his Eminence. I was young and foolish at the time and believed I could do that. I was so full of hatred! He murdered all those I cared about, and tortured my family. Whenever I was teased, he would just laugh and encourage my tormentors. You know how I'm a half-breed? Well, he'd use that to his advantage. I was forced to kill for the slimy bastard for his ENTERTAINMENT! I thought that would be the worse he would do to me, but I was wrong. I was very wrong." Mel paused for a while, deep in thought. The others didn't say anything, knowing that Mel wouldn't want to be bothered right now. After a few deep breaths, Mel started her tale once more.

"The last straw came when he tortured and caused my father to be on the brink of death. Why? Because my father talked with a Mystic!" At this, Mel gave a bitter laugh as tears shimmered in her eyes. "And you know what? His _Eminence_ had _ordered_ him to talk with the Mystic and force, encourage , whatever the Mystic to tell about plans of a battle his Eminence has heard! My father found out all the details and everything but guess what? His _Eminence_ wasn't happy with that! Sure, he was glad he had the plans but he wasn't glad that my father, his most trusted and loyal Lord had talked to a Mystic! Therefore, he _tortured_ my father. With that last unforgivable action, I defected to the Mystic's side. My family was horrified to learn that and immediately disowned me. I was hurt but I knew that they still supported me. Then I met Rika and you know the rest." Mel angrily swiped away tears that had fallen and slammed her fist into the ground. "When I get the chance, I am going to _kill_ the bastard!

"You guys probably hate me now. After all, I lied to you and I got you all into this mess…" Mel trailed off, lowering her gaze to the cold stone floor.

"Mel…" Rika whispered, unsure of what to say. Juri moved as if to comfort Mel but stopped. Kenta and Kazu just looked at Mel with sympathy and pity in their eyes. Henry had had his eyes closed throughout the narration and finally opened them. He walked, or glided, over to Mel and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Mel, look at me." Henry quietly urged. Mel closed her eyes and turned her head away from him, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to roll down her face. Henry gently took her chin in his hand and forced her to look at him.

"Mel. We don't care if you were an Evil before. You are Mel and you are our friend. Nothing is going to change that, not even if you decide to turn back to the Evils. Of course, we're hoping you won't but if you do, know that we are still your friends. In addition, we don't hate you, no matter how much you want to believe that fact. Furthermore, it wasn't your fault that we're stuck in a dungeon. It was …his Eminence's fault. Don't forget that when Brian and Bryant showed up, you fought _with_ us instead of _against_ us. That means a lot to us, _and_ it shows that you really are on our side. Besides," Henry said with a small smile, "I'm sure Ryo would still love you even if you _were_ the Eminence of the Evils."

Mel didn't look all too convinced but she smiled at Henry.

"Thank you." Mel whispered. Henry merely smiled and hugged her. He was relieved to see Mel's aura slowly clear up back to it's original dark blue. 

"What are we supposed to expect when the Big Cheese himself visits us?" Kazu asked, grinning at Mel. Mel looked worried, however.

"Don't call him that! There's one myth that holds not lies but truth. 'The walls have ears in the darkest of places'. We're in one of the darkest of places. He can hear what you call him!" Mel snapped, her eyes glinting in the glow of their auras. Kazu looked horrified.

"Does that mean he heard everything we were talking about!?" Kazu asked, looking worried. Mel shook her head.

"No, he only knows what we talk about when he asks the walls themselves (I can soo imagine Kenshin going 'Oro?' at this statement). He has to be in the dungeons though, because walls don't gossip. However, if he _does_ ask, you can be sure that the first thing the walls will tell him that you called him the 'Big Cheese'." Mel cautioned, motioning towards the walls. Juri and Rika sweatdropped.

"Um, okay. That's twisted but I believe you." Kazu said, nervously glancing at the walls as though he expected them to attack him at any minute. Henry gave a small laugh but suddenly stiffened. Mel noticed this.

"What's wrong?" Mel asked, eyes darkening with worry.

Henry's far too pale faced turned towards her and uttered two words: "He's coming".

A/N: ^_^ I have 47 reviews! I think… Anyway, review and tell me what you think! Oh, and flame away if you want, I've been needing some fire. It's cold! 

Shadow: *snorts* you're _always_ cold. 

*scowls* I am not! Anyway, if you don't want to be _pink_ again, you had better watch it!

Henry: Oh, _you'll _have to worry about much more if you don't stop making me seem like a damsel in distress! 

Takato: Oh, I rather _like_ you being the damsel in distress.

Shadow: ¬_¬ Taka, what are you doing here. You didn't even have a part in this fic!

Taka (aka Takato): ^_^ To cheer up Henry, of course! Why else would I be here?

Henry: ^_^ *kisses Takato*

Taka: O.O ^________________________________^

*sweatdrop* um, ok…You two are weird…;_; Hen-rrry! I didn't make you look like a damsel in distress! *sobs* I'm trying my best! *starts crying really loudly*

Henry: O.O Please stop crying! It's giving me a headache!

*Continues to cry*

Henry: OK! You didn't make me seem like a damsel in distress! In fact, I was great! Please stop crying! *is begging on hands and knees* Taka, help me!

Taka: ^_____________________________^

Henry: Shadow?

Shadow: zZzZzZ zZzZzZ zZzZzZ zZzZzZ zZzZzZ zZzZzZ zZzZzZ zZzZzZ zZzZzZ zZzZzZ zZzZzZ zZzZzZ zZzZzZ zZzZzZ

R-really? I made you a good character? *hopeful look*

Henry: *desperate look* Yes! Now please stop crying!

u.u *sniffles* ok Now for responses to my wonderful reviewers! ^___________^

Henry: *sweatdrop* mood swings…she must be PMSing…

*glare* Watch it, buddy.

Henry: ^_^' I'm cool…

Mel: 3am…you are insane…and lucky. My parents would kill me if I were up that late on the computer.

Henrika: ^_^ Thanx, I know how much you like Henrika…this fic actually started out to be a Henrika but I couldn't get the fluff bunnies out of my head so I changed it. Sorry about that… You have my permission to change this into a Henrika though. 

kat/jen insane: o.O I never thought anybody could like my story _that_ much, but thanx! ^_^ awww, don't cry! You'll make me cry too…;_; Henry: kat has a point you know, you nearly _did_ kill me in your fic!

Eheheheheh…but you're not dead so everything's all right in the world!

Henry: -_-'

crisp-pa: Thanx I now know for sure what a muse is ^_^ My muse is Shadow-he's so mean sometimes! O.O *runs away from an angry Shadow*

I hope I didn't forget any of you! ^_^' Sorry if I did, but I'm trying to get chapters up asap, but I'm sick right now, so my brain's kind of muddled…

Now, on to notes and stuff!

I can't remember what I called the big Evil dude and I'm too lazy to check my other chapters so he is now called "Eminence". *shrugs* Don't ask me why, I was just watching Fushigi Yuugi! ^_^ Man, I LOVE that show-actually, the graphic novel's better. Still, I prefer Yuyu Hakusho…*hugs Hiei plushie* Hiei is sooo kawaii!

Hiei: hn…baka female

O.O Hiei-chan! *glomps Hiei* ^_____________^

Hiei: O.O urgh…

Bye bye! Is still hugging Hiei. ^____________^

Hiei: Can't-breathe! *is turning purple*

READ AND REVIEW, PLEASE!


	13. Akuma

A/N: Sorry I took so long to update! ;_; yay! 51 reviews! Ummm…what to do…go straight to the story! 

/…/-thoughts

(…)-A/N

Shadow: Wait, you're forgetting something!

Nani? What am I forgetting?

Shadow: -_-' typical. Fine, then. OK, a note on auras and powers. Their powers are being restrained except for Juri's. Why? Don't ask, I actually don't know and neither does Midnight. The auras, she doesn't want to keep on writing about auras but they'll be present-if she doesn't forget about them. 

Oh, that thing. ^_^' thanx! 

Preview of last chapter:

"Um, okay. That's twisted but I believe you." Kazu said, nervously glancing at the walls as though he expected them to attack him at any minute. Henry gave a small laugh but suddenly stiffened. Mel noticed this.

"What's wrong?" Mel asked, eyes darkening with worry.

Henry's far too pale faced turned towards her and uttered two words: "He's coming".

Chapter 13

"'He's coming'? What do you mean by that?" Rika whispered, eyes narrowing.

"He…the lord…Your Eminence…Oh God…it's him! He's coming!" Mel whispered faintly. "Out! We HAVE to get out! Who KNOWS what he's going to do to us! Dammit, my magic is _still_ sealed away!"

"Mel, shut up! You're frightening us!" Kazu snapped, shaking.

"No…" Henry whispered, drawing towards the shadow and closer to his friends.

"Henry?" Kenta asked knowing he didn't want to know what was wrong.

Henry moaned, grabbing his head trying to block whatever it was from his mind. 

"Henry, don't do this to us! Don't you _dare_ flip out on us now!" Rika snapped harshly. Henry just shook his head and drew further into the shadows.

"Mel, what's wrong? Why are you and Henry acting like this?" Juri tentatively asked, a shaking hand lightly touching Mel's shoulder. Mel hissed and pulled away, but not before the others could see that her eyes were glowing an eerie red.

"He's here," Henry gasped out, right before they heard the prison door creak open. A tall and dark figure walked in, revealing the Evil lord.

"Why, hello there! How nice of you to…drop in and visit me. I'm flattered, really. Who would have thought that I would receive a visit from several of the most powerful Mystics left alive?" His Eminence said, chuckling softly. His…audience merely glared at him.

"What do you want, Akuma(1)?" Mel snapped, having got under control.

"Tsk tsk tsk, is that any way to talk to your superior?" Akuma asked, his eyes glinting dangerously and a small smirk playing about his lips.

"YOU are NOT my superior, not anymore. You have no control over me, you bastard." Mel shot back, glaring heatedly at the smirking Evil in front of her.

Momentarily ignoring her, Akuma turned to Rika. Rika coldly glared at him as his eyes raked her up and down from head to toes.

"Rika Makino, a water/ice witch and amazingly beautiful, if I might add," Akuma smirked as he felt the temperature drop a lot despite Rika's powers were bound.

"_No,_ you may _not_ add, bastard," Rika hissed, eyes flashing angrily. Juri moved closer to Rika, eyes flashing in sync with Rika's.

"Well, then. Ah, if it isn't little Juri Katou. Sweet and innocent as always, ne? And Kenta and Kazu! The naïve and _extremely_ annoying and disrespectful duo. Pleasure to meet you!" 

"Can't say the same to you, _jerk_," Kazu snapped, as Kenta gently restrained him from saying more.

/Kazu, watch what you're saying! You DON'T want to anger him/ Kenta reprimanded.

"And finally, Henry Wong. Ah…I have yearned for so long to finally see you, to have you, to _own_ you. Now, you are here, in _my_ dungeons…and here you will stay…with me-forever," Akuma smiled reaching towards Henry.

"Never, Akuma. Never will I be yours. You may keep on dreaming, jackass, but you'll _never_ own me _or_ have me! I belong to only Takato-and you'll _never_ change that no matter _what_ you do!" Henry snapped, as he moved out of Akuma's reach.

"Yeah, and you'll have to go through _us_, to get to him!" Mel said, in a soft voice that promised a world of pain if you defied her.

Akuma heaved a great sigh and shook his head. 

"Fine, fine. I won't have him-yet. However, Mel, I have a proposal you don't want to turn down," Akuma said, eyes glinting strangely. Mel tensed up, unsure of what to expect from the dark lord (Is it just me or am I giving the evil dude way too many names?!).

"I don't need to hear it! I would rather die then go back to your side! So whatever you say, you can shove it up your f*cking ass! 'Cause I don't want to hear it!"" Mel snapped, the room feeling slightly damp(2). You could hear a pin drop after this announcement.

Kazu, overcoming his shock and surprise, was the first to speak, "Alright, Mel! You heard her, Akuma. She doesn't need _any_ of _your_ proposals! So back-off and let us go!"

Akuma shook his head, a small smirk playing about his lips. "Ah, but Mel, don't you want power? Ultimate power? So much power that you could take over the world?"

"At what price, you slimy bastard? Joining you? If so, then you can FORGET IT!" 

"…Very well then. I'm afraid we'll have to do this the hard way." Akuma's eyes suddenly glowed and Mel felt her self slowly walking forward.

"What the f*ck?! What are you _doing_ to me, Akuma?"

"Simple, you _are_ coming over to my side whether you like it or not. After all, with you on my side, the Mystics won't be able to do anything for fear of hurting or killing you, right Henry?" Akuma moved his eyes over to Henry's face. For once in his life, Henry wasn't hiding his emotions. You could see the anger, hatred, and submission in his eyes.

"Damn you, Akuma. Damn you to hell!" Henry hissed, eyes narrowing like a snake's. 

"Oh but I've already been to hell! In fact, my dear boy, you are _in_ hell right now." Akuma said, laughing. Mel's eyes widened as she was suddenly forced to bow right in front of Akuma. 

"Good girl, I knew you'd come through and join us once more." 

"Kisama! You're forcing me to join you! I'll never join you on my own and you know that. What are you, a weakling? So weak and pathetic that you have to use magic to _force_ me to join your pathetic group? You know, Akuma, I used to think you were incredibly powerful. Apparently, you're not as powerful as I thought you were."

"…Dare to say that again?"

"Yes. You. Are. Weak. And. Pathetic!"

Akuma's eyes glowed and his aura flared brightly and was instantly flooded with black streaks of anger. 

"I'm sorry you think that, Miyakai. However, no-one gets away with insulting me-including you!" Akuma snapped, raising his arms. "For that, you shall be destroyed-pity, because I honestly wanted you to rejoin my side."

"Never, I'll NEVER rejoin your side, even if it meant my death!" Mel snarled, glaring at Akuma, desperately trying to unlock her magic.

"Too bad. Flame Inferno (3)!" A vortex of fire spiraled straight towards Mel. There was no way Mel could escape the attack unless she could unlock her magic in time (4). 

A/N: uh oh! What will Mel do??? I hope she doesn't die…^^' yep, I don't know what's going to happen next. *HUGE sweatdrop* Anyway, hope you like this chapter-I spent a looong time working on it.

Shadow: It still sucks, you know

;_; I know, I know…^^ But still, people can like it! Like it, 'cause it hurts God! *blinks*

Shadow: eh…where did that come from?

Xellos: sore wa himitsu!

Where'd you come from, you're not even a part of the fic! And what do you mean but, "sore wa himitsu"? 

Xellos: sore wa O.O urk!

Shadow: *calmly sheathing his sword back*

Shadow…*sweatdrop* ^_^' um, ok…at least he's gone…but still, why the heck did I say "'cause it hurts God"???

Shuldich: ^_^ *creeps away*

Eh..I'll find out later. Here are the numbers! ^^

1: eh…he needed a name so I named him demon

2: based on their emotions, their environment can change. It doesn't require powers.

3: Not good at thinking up attack names so there.

4: Mel _could_ dodge-but there isn't enough room.

A/N: There, I hope that clarifies things. Please review! Oh, and flames are actually appreciated it! I –enjoy- verbal abuse…after all, I do have a quick tongue and a quick mind myself. *sweet smile*


	14. Escape

A/N: OHAYO! ^_^ I'm back and my computer is virus free! -_-' ugh…stupid virus. Meanwhile, thank you sooo much for the reviews I received from my faithful readers! ^_^ I'm thinking of making this end soon so tell me what you think-do you want me to drag it on longer or shall I just make it a clean end? 

Shadow: end it already! You should try new ideas-I KNOW you have many other stories on your computer and in your mind.

Midnight: Yeah, well I _like_ finishing things up so nyah! XP

Shadow: baka

Midnight: XP Here's chapter 14-enjoy!

(…): A/N

//…//: thoughts

Chapter 14- Escape

Mel was thrown back as the spell hit her. She crashed headfirst into the wall and was immediately knocked unconscious. Her friends were frozen in shock but quickly recovered when a think trickle of blood appeared in a shiny trail of red from the cut on her head. 

"Mel!" Juri screamed. Juri whipped around to glare furiously at Akuma. "Damn you to the deepest pit in hell, Akuma! How could you _do_ that to one of your own people???"

"How could I do that? Simple. This is my territory and she is no longer one of my people. She also defied my wishes and that combined with being in my own territory gives me the right to do _whatever_ I want _whenever_ I want and to _who_ I want to do it to ( No, not like that you perverts. You know what I mean). However, a simple-minded _fool_ like you wouldn't be able to understand," Akuma said easily. He looked like as if he was at a tea party instead of facing five angry Mystics.

Juri looked like she had been slapped. Rika stiffened with anger while Kazu and Kenta flushed with anger. Nothing showed or altered on Henry's face.

"Don't. Ever. Insult. _My_ girlfriend-unless you want to die a painful death," Rika hissed. The room dampened quickly.

"Yeah! Nobody EVER insults OUR friend and gets away with it!" Kazu spat, his eyes flashing dangerously. The tension was so thick you could cut it with a dull butter knife. Before the scene could get any worse than it already was, a quiet yet firm voice cut into the thickening silence.

"Why bother capturing all of us when you want only me and/or Mel?" Henry asked.

"Have you not figured it out yet? Your 'friends' are to be used as my tools. They give me the means to bargain with you, of course," Akuma said, smiling.

"You mean 'force'. NOT 'bargain'," Kenta spoke up quietly.

Akuma carelessly waved a hand in the air, "Whatever you like to call it. Of course, I prefer bargain".

"You planned on using my friends against me, didn't you. If I refused, you would threaten my friends unless I joined you and your pathetic group. Well thought out," Henry said, nodding his head with approval.

"Why, thank-" Akuma was cut off as Henry continued, pretending Akuma had never said anything.

"However, it won't work. You see, when you captured us, you neglected to insure that you had captured _all_ of us. In doing so, that will cause your plan to fail."

"Ah yes…the thunder mage and the dragon. I'm not worried. They aren't strong enough to break through my defenses with just two of them. I've seen their full power and it isn't nearly strong enough to help you escape."

At the moment, the wall exploded, letting in what little light there was from the outside in. All around, prison cells literally melted into puddles of gray. Henry and the other captive Mystics quickly rejoined their rescuers, as they felt their power being released (um yeah…about that. I don't remember if I said anything about restraining powers but their cells were cursed to restrain their power.)

"Hey, Akuma! Care to recheck out full power?" Takato said, with a grin on his face. Ryo stepped in beside him, his aura dancing with contained electricity. 

Akuma's eyes widened as he took in the scene. His whole prison was half-damaged thanks to only two, TWO Mystics that was _supposed_ to have very little power. His shock and surprise was quickly masked however. "Ah I see I underestimated you. That will not happen again, I assure you."

"I bet it won't. Now, if you'll excuse me, we have to leave. Ttfn" Takato grinned victoriously and waved. The whole group disappeared in a flash of colors (think about whitelighters from Charmed and Power Rangers from, well, Power Rangers).

Akuma was left glaring at the spot his captives had just escaped him. In a fit of anger, miles of land, vegetation, people, and whatnot instantly dropped down dead. His eyes glowing a red tint, Akuma left the dungeon and furiously stalked away, people dropping down dead left and right.

"This will NOT happen again! Those brats got the best of me this time but only one battle has been won. The war has not. I swear I will have Henry and the world if it's the last thing I do!" Akuma seethed, waves of evil energy pouring off him like tsunamis. 

Meanwhile, in the warehouse, Henry looked out towards the land of Evil, deep in thought.

//This is just the beginning of the Uprising. Things are no longer going to be as petty as our capture was. It will be a lot worse and many deaths will arise. I know we can pull through as long as the eight of stick together-or else everything will be destroyed. //

Outside, the moon glowed softly and the stars twinkled as if everything was right in the world.

Midnight: ;_; this chapter is short, I know! It's going to be longer next time, I promise!

Shadow: Never make promises you can't keep, Midnight.

Midnight: I know! Ok, fine. The chapter after next will be a lot longer, promise! *ducks as random people throw vegetables at her for lying* owww @_@ 

Shadow: *shakes head* Looks like I'll have to say this for her…

Henry: I'll do it!

Shadow: uhh be my guest. How did you get here?

Henry: *shrugs* Please Review! Go ahead and flame if you want to. Midnight here is trying to figure out if any of her emotions are real. Don't ask-I don't know. Oh, and answer this question:

How much longer should I make this?

not very long

JUST END THIS STUPID FIC ALREADY!!!

Loooong! Make this into a never-ending story!

Uhhh…don't care. Your story your choice, duh.

Anybody I should kill along with the obvious character? 

yes

no

If yes to the question above, who? (choose more than one character if you want)

Rika

Juri

Kenta

Kazu

Mel

Ryo

Henry

All of them! Massacre! Kyaaaaaaaaah! *runs of screaming loudly and swinging a sword around*

Nobody! ;_; *sobs* I just c-can't stand to see someone else d-d-die! Waaah!

Midnight: Lat but not least, give me some ideas, people! I'll use them if I like the ideas. Review! ^_^ 


	15. Two Weeks in Wait

A/N: Any ideas why ff.net is having so many problems? I only hope people can actually _read_ this chapter. Lately, I've been visiting and nothing shows up in the anime section. What is up with that? Btw, I wrote this while suffering from massive brain cell loss. That's why it sucks. Hopefully, while writing, I'll gain more brain cells.

Shadow: Dunno They had better get if fixed soon or I'm going to have some fun kicking ass!

…Right, anyway, here's the next chapter. Shadow, disclaimer please.

Shadow: alright, Midnight does NOT own Digimon or anything else except for the piece of junk she calls a computer, her small and ridiculously clean bedroom, various anime photos, anime info, anime…

That's ENOUGH, Shadow! You don't need to list everything I own! The disclaimer is to show what I DON'T OWN!!! Not what I OWN! 

Shadow: yeah yeah, just get on with it.

/…/:thoughts

(…): MY thoughts

****

Chapter 15: Two Weeks of Rest nobody's POV

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

__

Week 1

Running through thick shrubbery, Ryo and his friends ran swiftly towards their hideout, the warehouse. Ryo was holding an unconscious Mel in his arm, worry showing brightly in his eyes. Mel was badly hurt from the blast and her condition wasn't getting any better. Her aura was streaked across with black[1], growing wider and wider. 

__

/Where is_ that damn warehouse? We should have reached it by now!/_ Thought Ryo desperately. If they didn't reach shelter any time soon, Mel could die and Ryo wasn't about to let that happen. Not especially after just finding her.

__

/You are NOT going to die. I won't let you! I'll kill you myself if you die, Mel./ Ryo inwardly scowled as a look of fresh determination spread across his face. He picked up speed as he continued running and was soon flying over broken branches, leaves, grass, etc. The others, recognizing the new need for speed, quickly matched pace with Ryo and they finally reached the warehouse in a matter of minutes.

"Juri! Do something! Mel isn't getting any better!" Ryo shouted, panting[2].

The wound had opened further and was now bleeding heavily. Juri rushed over to Mel and placed both her hands over Mel's wound. A soft golden glow settled over the wound and ever so slowly the wound began to close. 

Five minutes…

Ten minutes…

Finally, after 15 minutes, the wound was fully closed and healed. Juri was looking pale and her aura had the first signs of exhaustion showing. However, she just moved on to the other wounds, closing them from several seconds to several minutes. As the last wound was closed, Mel finally relaxed, free from pain-for as long as she remained unconscious.

With a weary look, Juri unsteadily stood up, quickly being supported by Rika.

"There. That should do it. In about a week or two, Mel should be fully healed and ready to fight." Juri said, with a slight smile.

"That's great! Thank you so…" Ryo was cut off as Juri raised her hand and shook her head.

"I'm not finished, Ryo. Mel has to rest for a week. Then she'll have to spend another week exercising. Even with all her wounds healed, if she works too hard, she can have a relapse. Make sure she doesn't get up to do ANYTHING, no matter WHAT she says. Understand?" Juri firmly said, looking at Ryo expectantly. 

Ryo nodded, a determined look across his face, "No matter _how_ hard Mel fights, she's going to rest-for a week."

__

/I'm going to need all the luck in the WORLD to be able to do that! Mel sure is determined when she wants to do something. I can't think of anything else she'll fight harder to do than this…except killing Akuma, that is./ On the inside, Ryo grimaced, knowing it would be hell to try and get Mel to stay still. She wasn't someone who would just stay still and do nothing, especially rest.

"If you need it, we'll give you our help. Juri will definitely help you out since she's our resident healer and I'll definitely help, considering this was all my fault to begin with." Henry said, a guilty expression showing in both his face and eyes.

"Forget it, Henry. It wasn't your fault. It's Akuma's fault. Don't blame yourself for something you had no control over. If you want to blame someone, blame Akuma. Or you could blame his mother for giving birth to him, or her mother, and then her mother, and all the mothers before his mother. Then you can, depending on whatever religion, blame the maker of the universe for thinking about making humans/Mystics/Evils/whatever. Oh! Or you can even blame the weather!" Takato said, his face changing expressions: somber, loving, hatred, thoughtfulness, confusion, and finally, complete and total happiness.

The others stared and stared and stared. 

"Why are all of you looking at me like that? You're looking at me as if I've gone insane of I'm someone or something you've never seen before. It's very unnerving, you know." Takato whined, looking uncomfortable.

Kazu was the first to gain his wits back. "Umm, right. Whatever Takato said is correct. I think. Actually, I didn't understand anything he said at all aside after 'blame Akuma'. Soooo, I'll just say this. What happened wasn't your fault. Don't beat yourself up about it. Also, don't listen to Takato. His logic is confusing, stupid, and utterly incompre…whatever."

"It's 'incomprehensible', Kazu. Anyway, thanks, you guys. Oh! Looks like Mel is regaining consciousness. Hello, welcome back." Henry said, smiling.

Mel winced, feeling some slight pain in her side(err…that's where the wound was situated) and looked around, blinking.

"Wha…huh? Eh?" Mumbled Mel, looking disoriented.

"…wha?" Ryo asked, looking confused.

"Err…" Mel sounded out, looking more than just "disoriented".

"Huh?" Ryo replied, now past confused.

"Mm…" Mel started, but was cut off by Rika placing her hand over her mouth. Veins were popping out all over Rika's face as she hit Ryo on the head.

"E-NOUGH with the unintelligible sounds! You, Ryo!" Rika shouted, still looking very ticked off.

"Yes ma'am!" Ryo shouted, quickly snapping a military salut. Rika stared at him for a few seconds, looking confused but then shrugged it off.

"Right, anyway, your girlfriend wakes up and all you can do are make _sounds_?!? At least tell her where we're at!" Rika snapped, shaking Ryo. "Damn, some boys are completely clueless!" With that, Rika threw her hands into the air and marched off muttering about how some boys were complete and total idiots in some areas (no offense, guys).

"Uhh, right. Mel, you're at the warehouse, Juri healed you, everybody's ok, and…youneedtorestforawholeweek." Ryo said, rushing the last part.

"Oh, that's good. Wait, WHAT???" Mel shouted, looking furious.

"You, uh…have to uhh…rest for a whole week." Ryo said, giving a half-hearted smile.

"Oh, NO WAY. I am NOT staying PUT for a WHOLE WEEK!" Mel shouted, trying to get up. Ryo gently pushed her back down onto the covers, shaking his head.

"Sorry Mel, but that's the doctor's orders. Rests for a week then have some nice exercise for the second week. I am not going to let you get up and have a relapse."

"argh…don't CARE! I will NOT and I CANNOT stay put for a WHOLE week! No WAY no HOW!"

"You're fighting a losing battle, Mel." Henry gently admonished.

"I don't CARE! NONE of you can MAKE ME STAY PUT FOR A WHOLE WEEK!" Mel yelled, trying in vain to get up.

"Well, we're certainly going to try. If we can't convince you to rest, then we'll have to –force- you to rest. We don't want to have it come to that, do we?" Juri asked, looking innocent.

Mel opened and closed her mouth several times, a shocked look adorning her face.

"Now stop that, you look like a fish and you're going to catch some flies if you keep that up." Kenta said, shaking his finger. Kazu snickered, saying something that sounded like "mother".

"…It's only for one week, right?" Mel asked in a small voice.

"Yep! Just for one week! You rest for one week and then you can join the rest of us the next week for some light training. Note the word 'light'." Juri said, smiling happily.

"YOU ARE GOING TO TRAIN WITHOUT ME?!" shouted Mel at the top of her lungs once more.

"Don't shout, and yes, we are going to start training without you. Don't worry-it'll just be light sparring." Rika said, her voice giving no room for argument. Mel decided to try, anyway.

"B-but, there's an odd number of you! Without me, there's only seven people and well, you can't spar with each other because one person will be left out!" Mel said, trying to reason with her teammates.

"Yeah, we thought about that. I, I mean, 'we', decided that I would go against two of them. That way, everybody has a sparring partner. Good plan, ne?" Henry said brightly.

"NO, it's –not- a good plan. Do you want to know why? It doesn't include me in it!" Mel snapped irritably. "I cannot believe you guys are going to train without me."

"Mel, stop being so selfish, man! You sound like Mimi [3]! The rest of us aren't hurt and it wouldn't do us any good to just sit and relax when we –know- Akuma is planning to attack us sometime in the near future. We're just hoping that he won't attack this week or the next. Don't forget Mel-you're a fast healer once all your major injuries are well, healed. After this week, it'll take you about two days top for you to be back to your tip-top fighting shape. So let the rest of us –healthy- people train!" Kazu said, waving his arms around in the air, scowling. 

Mel gained a thoughtful look for several seconds, which turned into a shamed look. "Yeah, sorry. I forgot about that one detail. Forgive me?" 

"…Yeah, I forgive you. I know Ryo, Juri, and maybe Rika has forgiven you since the very start of this argument but I don't know about the others." Kazu said, smiling sheepishly at Mel.

"I _have_ forgiven you-ever since you were told about having to rest for a whole week. Don't forget-I hate staying in bed for that long too." Rika said, growling at the thought.

"I'm with Kazu. I forgive you too for acting so…mean, for lack of a better word." Kenta smiled, looking sincere.

"Uhhh…personally, I have no idea why you're asking to be forgiven. It was _so_ obvious that you would react this way when you heard the news! I mean, come on! Who _wouldn't_ react like you did? I acted the same way when I was ill-but I had to stay in bed for TWO WHOLE WEEKS! I mean, COME ON! Just because someone has the flu doesn't mean they can't move around. The flu is SUCH a SMALL ILLNESS! It was-" Takato was cut off as Henry kissed him into a dazed state. Whistles, cheering, applause, and catcalls came from their surrounding friends as they watched this display. Takato and Henry blushed at the attention but didn't stop. Soon, the noise died down and turned into an awed silence. The two were still at it. They were still kissing.

…And kissing.

…And kissing.

…And kissing until Rika stopped the kissing. She had, with an annoyed expression on her face, went up, and pinched the two lovebirds noses closed. Takato and Henry broke apart, gasping for breath and pulling Rika's hands away from their noses.

"Sorry! We just, umm, got carried away for a moment there." Henry explained, grinning sheepishly but satisfactorily. Takato, after gaining his breath back had fallen into a dazed state, his cheeks still flushed from the intense kiss. Henry waved a hand in front of his koi's face, hoping to elicit a response. However, after receiving no response, he sighed, shrugged his shoulders, and gave up, by hitting Takato upside the head.

"Um yeah, I forgive you too. Now that this is over with, I suggest all of you rest while Takato and I take care of business." Henry said flapping a hand at the others, dragging Takato behind him on the way to their room.

A bewildered silence reigned over the remaining team. Ryo was the first to break up the silence.

"Ahem. Right. Sooo, with those two lovebirds gone to do um 'business', I guess we should follow Henry's advice." Ryo said, haltingly.

"Business. Right. Yeah, Kenta and I are gonna go take care of business, also. Smell ya later!" Kazu said, grabbing a startled Kenta and pulling him towards their shared room. The others also left, muttering things about also taking care of business. The room eventually cleared out with Mel and Ryo left in it. Both Mel and Ryo had bemused looks on their faces, wondering why the others couldn't just say what they were going to do, instead of making up lame excuses like saying they had "business" to take care of.

"Well, that was stupid and interesting. Let's get you to our room, shall I?" Ryo inquired, picking Mel up.

"I can walk, you know. My legs aren't damaged." Mel protested, straining to release herself from Ryo's strong grip.

"Nuh-uh. You've got orders to rest and I intend to help you keep those orders. Which means no walking or doing whatever on your own." 

"You mean you're going to FEED ME???" 

"Yes."

"What about going to the bathroom and showering and things?"

"…Good point. I'll help carry you to the bathroom but then you're on your own. You should be happy. ^_^"s

"…I hate you, Ryo Akiyama [4]."

"The feeling's mutual, love."

__

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Week 2

"YES! I'M ALIVE!!!" Mel shouted exuberantly, standing up. "Whoa…head rush. Heh, must've stood up too fast."

"Baka! You should'v waited for me to help you!" Ryo scolded, supporting Mel.

"Are you JOKING? After a WEEK of you mother-henning me, you think I REALLY want you to carry me all over the place again?" Mel said, incredulously. 

/_Actually, I _do_ want him to carry me all over the place. Then again, it'd be great to do things on my own once more. Ah, I've got to admit it-doing this on my own is great!/_ Mel thought, grinning inwardly. By now, Ryo had let go of her and she was easily standing up, looking around. Attempting a few steps forward, Mel discovered that she could walk just fine and walked to Juri who was nervously standing a few feet away, watching Mel's progress.

"Hey Juri! I don't remember thanking you before so I'll just thank you again. Or for the first time. Whatever. Yeah, thanks for helping me the past week." Mel said earnestly, hugging Juri. Juri smiled softly, returning the hug.

"It's no problem. I love being able to help my friends. Especially when they're in need. Just remember, If you ever need my help, just ask, okay? This goes for you too, Henry!" Juri said, emphasizing Henry's name. Henry blushed a little but just grinned at Juri's back. Mel could _feel_ Ryo pouting behind her back so she turned around, ran and _leapt_ up onto Ryo, effectively startling him. 

"Whoa! Mel, you shouldn't have done that! If I wasn't able to catch you…" Ryo was silenced by Mel kissing him. Once more, a kissing fest started, except between Mel and Ryo. This time around, though, it wasn't Rika who stopped the two. It was Kazu. Obviously, it didn't go well with him and the couple. 

Kazu, quickly becoming bored of the display had walked up to Mel and Ryo and poked them in their sides. When that didn't stop them, he started poking their faces.

Poke, poke, poke…on and on he went, until Mel and Ryo finally became annoyed and together, they dropped-kicked Kazu right out of their bedroom. Kenta gave a small yelp and ran out, worriedly checking to see if his boyfriend was still alive and in one piece. Juri had followed Kenta and when they discovered that Kazu was ok, they hit him on the head, a nervous tick developing on their foreheads. 

"OW! What was that for?" Kazu asked, furiously rubbing the large bump on his head.

"_That_ was for poking Mel and Ryo in the faces like that." Juri replied, calmly dusting her hands off. Kenta nodded, similarly dusting off his hands.

Rika snorted and muttered, "Stupid brainless, tactless, infuriating, annoying, uncaring idiot, jerk, asshole, pea-brain.." and continued in this vein for quite some time until Henry hushed her.

"Before this gets out of hand, I believe Mel is ready for some LIGHT sparring. You guys pick your own partners," Henry instructed, "HOWEVER, Ryo may NOT be paired up with Mel. Is that understood?"

"What? Why?" Ryo asked, alarmed. Mel, looking surprised, looked to Henry for answers.

"Simple. You'll go too easy on her. You're her lover and being that combined with Mel just getting out of bed for the first time will make you go too easy on her." Henry said impassively.

"Oh…you've got a point there." Mel muttered.

"I'll go against Mel." Juri piped up, walking to Mel. Ryo looked crestfallen but Mel just nodded and walked off with Juri to one the mats.

"Rika, you go against Ryo. You're the best one at irking him and right now, doing that will be a GREAT idea." Henry suggested.

"Sure. Let's go Ryo, unless you think you can't beat me…" Rika said, smirking at Ryo. Ryo's eyes lit up with the challenge and together, challenging each other at each step, the walked towards another set of practice mats.

"I'll take you on, Henry. That is, if you don't mind, Takato." Kenta said, meekly looking at his goggle-adorned friend.

"What? No, of course not. It means I can beat this senseless idiot." Takato replied, smirking at Kazu.

"Oh yeah? You want to bet, goggle-brain?" Kazu spat back, rising to the bait.

"Let's not bet-let's fight!" Takato shouted running towards yet another set of practice mats. Kazu chased after him, leaving Henry and Kenta coughing in the dust he left behind.

"How do you –control- him??? He's like a contained ball of wild energy!" Henry asked Kenta, amazed.

"I have no idea how I do it. I'm just glad I can." Kenta replied morosely, shaking his head.

"When you discover how you do it, give me some tips. Let's go spar." Henry tossed over his shoulder as he walked to the mats that were left. Kenta quietly followed the younger boy, watching the others fight.

~~~~~~

An hour later, Juri stopped sparring, noticing that Mel was tiring. Seeing Mel was about to protest Juri held up her hand and shook her head, saying, "No, you've just left the bed for the first time in a week. I won't have you have a relapse just because you're too tired from sparring with me. After all, you _are_ tired right now."

At that, Mel just nodded her head, knowing what Juri said was right. She _was_ tired and wanted nothing more than to have a cold drink and take a nice long break.

Noticing Mel and Juri leaving the practice room, Ryo stopped his spar with Ryo and rushed over to Mel.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt? Is everything okay? Can I do anything to help?" Ryo asked in a rush, hovering over Mel. Annoyed, Mel brushed him aside and shook her head.

"Yes, no, yes, no." Mel answered. Ryo blinked, cutely looking confused.

"Yes, to your first question, no to your second, yes to your third, and no to your fourth." Mel explained. Ryo's face lit up and he nodded, looking relieved. Juri giggled shaking her head and Ryo's antics. Her eyes widened as she saw an annoyed Rika stomp over to Ryo.

"Ryo?" Juri questioned.

"Yeah? Is something the matter?" Ryo asked, looking towards Juri.

" I think you'd better get back to your spar or run." Juri advised, pointing behind him. Ryo warily turned to look and his eyes widened as he saw Rika and the cold blue glow surrounding her hands.

A whispered "shit" was all that was heard of Ryo as he turned and bolted for his dear life. Rika raced after him shouting at the top of her lungs and attacking him.

Mel and Juri were laughing so hard as they watched they had to lean on each other for support as they walked to the kitchen.

"Oh Seraphymon, that was hilarious! I've never seen Ryo run so fast!" Mel said breathlessly, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes.

"I know! I don't think I've ever seen Rika's face so red! She must've been really enjoying her spar with Ryo." Juri agreed, taking out two cans of soda from the fridge. She handed one to Mel and they both walked back to the practice room to watch the others spar with each other.

~~~~~~~~

Near the end of the week, tensions were high and faces stopped smiling. Kazu stopped trying to make jokes when he realized that they weren't helping at all. Everybody could feel each others nervousness which only helped heighten their own nervousness. Henry was effected by the tension the most. He knew that Akuma was going to attack very soon and although the knowledge that his team was at their best and highest levels, didn't help lessen his nervousness or tension.

His friends could see him constantly pace around the room, a dark aura replacing his usually light aura. Nobody could approach him because they would only be rejected or ignored. They were all worried about him but couldn't do anything about it. Eventually, they had stopped approaching him but Takato never gave up. He would try and talk to Henry every day and was the only one who would be acknowledged. Still, Takato could not find out what was bothering Henry.

As the Friday came by, tensions were so high that everybody took their worry and stress out against each other. The result was a huge fight against one another with surprisingly helped. All but one of the team was relaxed and ready for anything. Henry remained the same: broody, dark, antsy, worried, and stressed out. He was beginning to undo the light feeling that had overcome his friends. 

Putting their minds at work, they came up with one solution: another fight. A fight had helped them so it should work with Henry, right? All they could do was pray and hope that their plan would work. Finally, the day on which they would initiate their plan came. It was Saturday when it started.

Henry had noticed that his friends had returned to feeling happy again so he tried to stay away from them by locking himself in his room, only letting Takato in when it was time for bed. When Saturday came, he noticed a change in everybody. Instead of a light feeling he had been receiving as of late, feelings of annoyance, anger, and frustration came rolling over him in waves. Curiosity replaced his dark feelings and he ventured out of his room to see what was wrong. The sight that greeted him both horrified and surprised him. 

Lights were flashing, friends were attacking friends, and a whole lot of shouting was going on. Worried, Henry rushed into to stop the fight but was attacked. Throwing up a shield to ward off that one attack, he ended up counterattacking another attack. Soon, he was fighting his friends all at once. Everything was in a chaotic mess. Henry was also in a spot of chaos himself. He was enjoying the fight while at the same time, wanting, no,_ needing_ to stop the fight. At the end, Henry's responsibility side won against his wild side. The fight was ended when a shield literally _exploded_ in the middle of the chaos and threw everybody, with the exception of Henry, against the walls of the warehouse.

All around Henry, bodies were picking themselves off the floor, shaking their heads, trying to rid themselves of the dizziness that had overcome them all of a sudden. A quiet yet dangerous voice cut through their hazy minds and helped cleared them in an instant. Everyone felt a cold chill creep down their backs and cautiously turned to face the speaker.

"Were you deliberately _trying_ to kill each other? Or were you merely trying to attract Akuma's attention?" Henry asked, his words cold and sharp, like a knife.

Complete silence reigned over the warehouse as his friends blushed self-consciously. No one dared to speak, afraid of evoking Henry's wrath on him or her.

"Someone answer me." Henry ordered, glaring at each of the turned down faces. Still, no one spoke. Henry sighed, frustrated as he rubbed his temple, trying to ward off an already growing migraine.

Taking a deep breath than exhaling, Henry controlled his temper and calmly said, "I do believe each of you have the ability to speak. If not aloud, I know you all can speak through our mindlink. Well? Will somebody _please_ tell me what was going on or do I have to dig through your minds to find out?"

Everyone flinched at the thought of the Henry digging through his or her memories. They knew it wouldn't be a mind rape since they would let him go through their memories. Still, it wouldn't be a pleasant experience-it was incredibly uncomfortable and unnerving.

Takato finally spoke up, the only one who was pretty sure Henry wouldn't injure too severely.

"We only wanted you to loosen up. We thought since fighting had helped us loosen up, it might work for you." Takato said, looking apologetically at Henry. Henry sighed and shook his head. 

"You could have just talked to me, you know." Henry said wearily.

"We tried. You either ignored us or told us to leave you alone." Spoke Rika, looking at Henry. Henry remained quiet, a blank expression on his face. The others instantly became nervous again, not liking the look, or non-look, on Henry's face. When Henry gave a wry grin, everybody released a breath they hadn't known they had been holding.

"Yeah, I just remembered. Sorry about that. I guess I'm just worried about the attack Akuma's going to launch." Henry offered, letting them in on what had been gnawing away at him.

"Didn't you think we'd be worried about that too? Come on! With Akuma _and_ that stupid prophecy looming over us like dark clouds on the horizon, how can we _not_ be worried? Henry, we're your friends. We want to help you. I also believe that you want to help us. If you had just let us in a bit, we could have avoided a whole week of dark and antsy feelings." Juri expressed, walking up and hugging Henry.

Henry sighed again and hugged Juri back, "I know. If we ever meet again, I'll be sure to let you help me." 

"You mean, 'In the future', right? Not 'if we ever meet again', right?!" Takato asked, walking up to Henry and grabbing his forearms.

"No, I mean 'if we ever meet again'. You do remember the not-quite-last-line of the prophecy, don't you? It clearly states what's going to happen to me. Every prophecy that has been told has always come true, word for word. I don't doubt the fact that the prophecy will come true again. Considering we don't have the whole prophecy, we don't know if the rest of you will also live." Henry quietly said, unable to meet Takato's eyes.

Takato shook Henry, furiously shaking his head. 

"No! I won't let you die! You mean the whole world to me! If you die, I'll just die with you. We were meant to be together FOREVER and you know it! I'm not going to let you die just because of some stupid prophecy, I'm not!" Takato cried, tears showing in his ruby red eyes. 

Henry didn't answer but also didn't move away. The others quietly looked on, their hearts clenching in pain from the scene.

"Henry! Answer me, goddamnit! You won't leave me, right? Right?!?!" Takato yelled, falling into Henry's now outstretched arms.

"I'm sorry…but you can't deny the fact that no prophecy has every been altered. I hate it too, but I can't change what has been written ages ago. You know I can't change it. You know I can't, no matter how much any of us wants to change it. I can't change my destiny…" Henry broke off, tears falling out of his silver eyes as he and Takato clutched each other, as if doing so would change what was destined to happen.

As the moon rose high overhead and the stars twinkled in the inky black sky, a whispered "I'm so sorry" was all that was heard before the wind carried the soft words away. 

Owari (what's this mean?)

A/N: How is that for length? ^_^ I hope you liked it! My attempt at humor sucks, I know. My attempt at angst also sucks. As does my attempt at everything else. Still, I rather like this chapter and I hope you do too. :/ Please review! Reviewing would make everybody happy, especially Henry!

Henry: It will?

*aims a sharp kick at his shins*

Henry: *winces and tries not to shout* Oh, yeah, it will! Please review! ^__^ 

Shadow: *snickers*

[1] black=pain

[2] I tried that once, it's not easy but it can be done

[3] OK, Mimi is not –entirely- selfish, but you have to admit-she is selfish in some episodes.

[4] Is that his last name?

[5] I can't remember what Rika calls him, if any of you remember, tell me!

Notes to the reviewers!

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Henrika: It was deleted? Seriously? Well, I received both reviews. Hmmm nice idea I might just use it. Not here…or maybe here….dunno, I'll keep your suggestion in mind. Thanks for the tips! ^_^

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KimMi: Thank you sooo much for the review! *hugs KimMi* Oooo I love the things you sent me, especially the plushie and the flamethrower! *grins evilly at Shadow* Shadow: *gulps* Awww you're soo nice! You like Kai from Beyblade, too? Or is it Kai from another anime? Anyway, thank you sooo much for your review, I love it! Oh, before I forget, I give you a security system to keep anyone you want out of your room!

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A friend: Baka. I showed my fic to many people in Gregory's class! Afterall, she would never notice us doing anything. *rolls eyes* What a stupid teacher. Perfect nap time period, huh.

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Crisp-pa: Cool, a Takato fan! I hope I didn't portray him too badly in this chapter. *winces* sorry if I did!

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Mel: Hope you like this chapter and thanks for your answers! Like the scenes between you and Ryo? Is this chapter long enough?

Click the button down there! ^________^


	16. Battle of a Lifetime

A/N: yep, this is chapter 16. I finally had an inspiration about 2/3 days before school started. -_-' Which means that I'll be writing during the school year-hope I have enough time to finally –finish- this story. This chapter is going to be switching between characters and time quite frequently. Hope it isn't too confusing.

Shadow: Thanks for all the reviews, we both really appreciate them all. We're hoping this'll be a tragic chapter but this is the first time Midnight tried anything tragic. Definite angst, though…or maybe that's the next chapter-if we don't finish the story on this chapter, that is. Anyway, onto the story!

Henry: uhh…disclaimer is the same as all other chapters and as all other stories-Midnight does not own Digimon or Mel!

/…/-thoughts

(…)-A/N

*…*-action

Chapter 16

The Battle of a Lifetime

~early next morning~

Rika laid wide awake in her bed as she protectively held Juri, who was still half asleep. No matter what she did, she couldn't get last night's scene out of her mind.

~flashback~

__

"No! I won't let you die! You mean the whole world to me! If you die, I'll just die with you. We were meant to be together FOREVER and you know it! I'm not going to let you die just because of some stupid prophecy, I'm not!" Takato cried, tears showing in his ruby red eyes. 

Henry didn't answer but also didn't move away. The others quietly looked on, their hearts clenching in pain from the scene.

"Henry! Answer me, goddamnit! You won't leave me, right? Right?!?!" Takato yelled, falling into Henry's now outstretched arms.

"I'm sorry…but you can't deny the fact that no prophecy has every been altered. I hate it too, but I can't change what has been written ages ago. You know I can't change it. You know I can't, no matter how much any of us wants to change it. I can't change my destiny…" Henry broke off, tears falling out of his silver eyes as he and Takato clutched each other, as if doing so would change what was destined to happen.

~end flashback~

/I guess the quote, "bad stuff always happen to good people" is true…I just wish it weren't. If it wasn't true, maybe none of this would have happened to us. First, it was losing our families in the massacre and now this! We might die but Henry will –definitely- die. Seraphymon, couldn't you have made our destinies to be a lot more peaceful?!?/ Rika thought angrily.

Juri stirred, slowly waking from her sleep.

Rika had a sudden thought and asked, "Hey, Juri? What's the date for today?"

Juri mumbled, "May 14, 1947 [1], why?"

Rika's eyes widened in shock then closed in sadness. In a barely audible whisper she replied, "It's the same date we all met and Takato and Henry admitted their love for each other several thousand years ago [2]…" 

At that, Juri's eyes widened as her mouth formed a little "O".

"You're right…it is that date. And Henry could die today! Oh, this is horrible! Do you think the others remember? If they do, it can't be a good thing, Rika!"

"No, it can't. Chances are, they will remember. This is a very important date to us all! Takato is going to –hate- today if the prophecy decides to finally end today. We're all going to have this day ruined…"

"Rika…I just thought of something…"

"What?"

"Today is the day we all met but is also the day Takato and Henry got together. Don't you think it's kind of a coincidence that the prophecy might come true today? Everything that happened so far happened leading up to this date. The rest of us got together before and after Henry and Takato found each other. You don't think Akuma knows this, do you? If he does…the prophecy –will- come true and today."

"I never thought about that…If Akuma knows then it's certain that today is the day Henry dies…We –cannot- let some stupid prophecy determine one of our closest friend's future! We have to do everything to keep Henry from dying or we're going to lose more than one friend…"

"Takato…Takato will follow Henry no matter what the cost…just like he said in his promise to Henry years ago…"

"Yeah…"

~flashback~

__

"I'm so glad I finally told you how I felt about you!" Takato gushed, dancing around happily. His boyfriend, Henry, laughed at his antics.

"Me too. I'm glad I told you how I felt about you before…" Henry didn't finish his sentence. His silver eyes darkened with sadness and mystery. Takato stopped fooling around to look at his boyfriend worriedly. Henry didn't speak often but he was always smiling. The few times he –did- look unhappy usually meant something serious had happened or was going to happen.

"Henry, what's wrong? And don't you dare say 'nothing'. You know I can read you like a book and that there's something you're hiding from me. Now spit it out. It's not good to keep your emotions bottled up inside you [3]._" Takato demanded, grabbing Henry's hands and holding them in his own slightly bigger hands._

"I'm afraid that you'll eventually leave me." Henry whispered. 

/Before I leave you, that is…/ Henry thought. Takato luckily didn't pick up on this stray thought through their mindlink.

"Never! I would –never- leave you! How can you think of such things?" 

"Everybody else left me…my own parents_ left me! Everybody I ever cared about or knew left me. I just don't want to lose you or the others-especially you."_

"Well, don't worry about that anymore." Takato said decisively, hugging a surprised Henry.

"Nani? Naze?" Henry made out, however muffled by Takato's shirt.

"We will never_ leave you-especially me. I'll follow you wherever you go. I'll never leave your side. In fact, I'd follow you to the ends of the Earth if need be! Yep, I'll follow you no matter what happens-even if it means losing my own life."_

Henry looked up at Takato, horrified. "No! You mustn't!"

Takato looked shocked. Now it was his turn to stammer out, "Nani?! Naze?!"

"No, you must –never- give up your life just to follow me! In fact, never give up your life –for- me! You have a life you must live even if I'm not in it!"

"Sorry Henry, no can do! You see," Takato continued on, ignoring the fact that Henry was about to speak, "You see, my life, my future, my –destiny- is to be with you. If you die, I won't have a life to live. Yes yes, I know it sounds stupid but it's true. At least to me it's true. If you die, everyone else will certainly miss you but they'll heal-they do have their significant other, you know. But me? I'll never heal. You are my whole life. I just can't let you go without taking me with you. Besides, I know you'd do the same thing for me…right?"

Henry gave a tiny smile but nodded. 

"Yes…you're right. I'd do the same thing if you were to die…But it'd still be my fault!"

"What fault? Huh? What are you talking about?"

"You, dying, because of me! You would die because I die therefore making it my fault. I could never live, I mean, die peacefully knowing you died because of me!"

"Nuh uh, pet[4]. _It'll be whoever killed you fault's. Whoever killed you would also kill me because it/he/she/they killed you. OK? No, you are –not- going to contradict/deny/whatever, me. That's that and that's all there is to it. o.O Now I'm confusing myself. OoOoO Big word for me! 'con-tra-dict'!"_

Henry laughed at the pleased expression on Taka's face, momentarily forgetting his troubled thoughts.

"Just remember, I will always follow you no matter what the cost." Takato said, gently kissing Henry.

~end flashback~

"We're going to lose two of our closest friends in the upcoming battle and there's nothing we can do about it…" Rika whispered, no longer denying the truth.

"I just wish there was a way…" Juri whispered, wishing with all her heart that there was some mistake.

~Kazu and Kenta's room~

"It's today." Kazu stated. Not a single emotion could be seen on his face while millions were swimming in his eyes.

"I wish it wasn't going to happen today. Think the others realize what today signifies?" Kenta asked, looking sadly at his love's emotionless face.

"Yes…if we realize what today signifies then they will too."

"…how can they not? Today will signify a day of life and ultimately, death."

Kazu merely nodded and they both fell silent.

~Mel and Ryo's room~

"I'm glad you're okay. Are you sure you're okay? I mean, you looked really tired yesterday after sparring with Juri." Ryo ask, concerned about Mel's health.

"Yes yes, I'm fine. Just need to get used to it again, that's all. Anyway, I should be asking –you- the same question. You're not acting like yourself. Well, you are, but I know something is bothering you. I can feel and sense it." Mel retorted, worried about _Ryo's_ health instead. 

"Nothing ever escapes your notice, huh." Ryo fell silent, thinking. Mel didn't say anything knowing Ryo would continue on his own.

"Today was the day me and the others met. It was also the day Takato and Henry became a couple. You see, before any of us met, Takato and Henry had known each other for a long time. Therefore, when we met, Takato suddenly looked like as if he had happened upon some amazing discovery and blurted out his feelings to Henry and kissed him. Henry was so shocked and surprised that he just stood there. Takato immediately released Henry and tried to bolt. You can't even imagine the look on his face when Henry grabbed his arm and kissed –him-. It was both funny and romantic." Ryo finished, with a happy smile on his face. Mel smiled at him, albeit a little sadly, wishing she had been there to witness the exchange.

"Then why…oh. I see…that's so sad…" Mel trailed off as the hidden implication finally rose to the surface.

"Yeah it is. What's worse is that I can no longer deny the truth. The memories that come with this date also brought one other memory to surface-the memory of Takato swearing that he would follow Henry no matter what the cost."

"That means….that means that…but…" Mel trailed off uncertainly and unhappily.

"Yes, exactly." Ryo said grimly.

~Henry's and Takato's room~

"Today is the day. Happy anniversary, love." Henry stated somberly.

"…It is our anniversary, isn't it. Happy anniversary to you too. Why today?! I don't want to accept that fact but I know I can't and that's what's making my life a living hell right now. Why you? Why us?" Takato asked angrily. "Why couldn't it have been someone else?"

"Takato!"

"I know what I just said sounds extremely heartless but it's true! I don't want his to happen to us! I don't want to lose you!"

"Just like how I don't want to lose you…"

"…yeah…I remember." Takato reached over and pulled Henry close, never wanting to let go but knowing they would have to.

"…I wish this moment would last forever but we have to get up." Henry said, despising the fact. Takato merely nodded and stood up, releasing Henry. Henry immediately felt a cold without Takato's touch but didn't say anything. He too stood up and dressed, along with his now silent koi. Together, they left their bedroom for the last time.

Behind them, their room grew slowly colder, already missing the body heat of the two young lovers. 

~Rika and Juri~

"Rika, do you remember where we first met?" Juri asked thoughtfully.

"You mean the two of us? Or the place all of us met?" Rika asked.

"The latter. I remember grass-and lots of it." Juri said dreamily.

"Yeah, I remember where it is. Why?" Rika looked confused. 

"I want to go there. If anything, I want to go to a place of happiness. And what better place than there?" 

"…okay. Let's go. It'd be nice seeing our old meeting place again. I haven't seen it in such a long time." 

With that, Rika took Juri's hand and they both disappeared in a swirl of blue mist.

~meeting place~

Upon their arrival, Rika and Juri saw the others arrive at the same time. Apparently, their friends had had the same idea.

"Fancy seeing you here, girls. Thought you two would prefer to stay in bed and do…other things." Kazu said, attempting to joke around. 

"grrr…watch it, visor-boy. I can still kick your ass seven ways into next week if need be." Snarled Rika, putting up her clenched fist threateningly. Small smiles started to grow on the others faces.

"Guys…please." Takato attempted to appease his two friends and surprisingly, they complied. The mood was instantly spoiled, however. A dark and somber air filled the clearing. Even the birds seemed to sadden and the sunshine began to fade from its happy brilliance to a sad glow.

"Oh…Happy anniversary you two. Wish there was something we could give you but what we want to give you is something none of us can attain." Ryo quietly said. Henry and Takato nodded their thanks but didn't say anything. 

"…it's great to be here again. Even under the circumstances, this place has always been beautiful. Nothing could ever mar the beauty of our 'meeting place'." Henry smiled slightly, his eyes taking on a faraway look. Murmured sounds of agreement floated across the quiet clearing before silencing once more.

As if sensing a hidden signal, everybody rushed to each other and hugged. Tears started to fall and voices rose and fell in prayer. Through their mindlink, memories, both good and bad, started to flow into each other's minds. Their auras, once darkened with sadness, began to lighten back to their original colors. However, many strands of dark blue still stood out against their auras, as well as bright and angry red streaks and pale yellow, which represented anger and fading hope in their respective order.

"How _sweet_. It's so _saccharine_!" Came a drawling voice from the depths of the shadows. At once, our heroes heads snapped around towards the voice.

"Akuma!" Rika hissed, eyes flaring a neon blue.

"So glad you remembered my name, Rika!" Akuma said, delighted. He clapped his hands like a little kid and even jumped up and down.

Rika snarled and tried to get at him but the others, with difficulty, held her back.

Akuma shook his head and shook his finger at her, " Naughty naughty! Of course, I did expect that from you-you were always the feisty one of the group. The saying 'opposites attract' is so true. You, dear Rika, are feisty while your pretty and innocent girlfriend over there is so quite and pacifist. 

"You stay away from me and Juri, you hear?!" Rika shouted, struggling a lot harder to free herself from her friends.

"Rika, please!" Juri begged, placing a calming hand on Rika's shoulder. Rika reluctantly relaxed and slumped, defeated.

"Just like a little puppy! Nuh uh! You shouldn't try that if you know what's good for you, Mel." Akuma simpered. Mel had changed into her vampiric form and had tried to attack Akuma for his comment on her friend. Mel's eyes flashed red and her canines elongated into fangs. Her pretty features were twisted into a mask of hatred and anger. The only thing that was stopping her from attacking Akuma right on the spot was Ryo, who was holding her back.

"What do you –want- Akuma?" Henry asked, seething. He absolutely –hated- it whenever someone degraded and insulted his friends like that. 

"You mean aside from you?"

"_Yes, you low, disgusting, and slimy creature from hell._" spat Henry in disgust.

"Ouch! You wound me! Hmmm let me think…I want you and I also want your love. But it's obvious I'll never have that so I'll have to simply satisfy me with yourself and your heart. Oh, and I also want to take your love away…wait, I already said that-I think."

"Get real! You'll _never_ have me _or_ my heart! And one thing you'll _never ever_ have would be my love. If you haven't –noticed-, pea-brain, someone already _has_ what you want! He also happens to have a lot more than you could ever wish for!" Henry growled as his eyes flared silver. His power was raising steadily and was growing wild, but still under control. 

Takato gently pushed Henry a little ways behind him as he stepped in front of his lived boyfriend protectively. "Hey, Akuma? I hope you realize that Henry doesn't –want- you! He has _me_ and that's all he needs! No matter –what- you may do to us, you will never shatter our love. Our love is stronger than you, me, and all of us combined. You'd be a _fool_ to think you can take that away. Oops, my bad. What am I saying? You already _are_ a fool!"

Akuma growled in warning and snapped his fingers. "If we can't do this the easy way, I'll just have to use the hard way! KILL THEM!" 

A hoard of Evils rushed from the shadows and attacked the eight Mystics. Soon, explosions were to be seen and heard from miles away. Humans hid in fear as they felt the enormous evil emanating from the clearing. Unexplained terror grew deep within their souls as they scrambled to find comfort with their loved ones.

"This is it you guys! Remember, kill or be killed!" Henry shouted as a last word of advice before racing off to engage Akuma in battle along with Takato.

"Good luck, guys! Diamond ice shards!" Rika shouted, eliminating several of their foes. She nimbly dodged several red blasts as she continued to take out the enemy with both her power and physical ability. So far, nobody had been hurt but she knew that it wouldn't last. Her prediction came true as she heard a shrill scream coming from her left. Rika gasped in fear as she ran towards the scream.

/Juri!/

"Glacial iceberg!" Rika furiously screamed as she took down hundreds of Evil that were attacking her wounded girlfriend.

/I'm okay! Don't worry about me-I do have healing powers. Just go help the others!/ Rika heard Juri say in her mind. Mentally, she nodded and took off.

~~~~

Ryo was currently attacking 15 Evils at the same time while trying to keep from falling into the water behind him. With sudden speed and a stroke of luck, he managed to dump nine of the 15 Evils into the water and electrocuted them. The rest all gained up on him and he was only spared when Mel came up and killed them with her supernatural strength.

"Phew. It must be useful to be part vampire right now, isn't it." Ryo remarked as he felled another Evil sneaking up on his mate.

"You betcha. Nice work you did with those Evils over there." Mel said, unconcernedly chatting with Ryo as she quickly finished off her foes with several plasma blasts[5].

"Who? Them? Oh, that was nothing. I just merely sent a current of electricity into the water and well, water and electricity doesn't exactly mix well, do they." 

"My, aren't you a humble one?"

"That's why you love me, hun."

"How very true."

Mel and Ryo managed to get a quick kiss in while beating up other Evils with their power.

~~~~

"Behind you!"

"Thanks! Woah, watch it, bud."

"Rainbow ore!"

"Earthquake!"

"Oh, you are _so_ not going to hurt my mate and get away with it! Gaia[6]!"

"Thanks, Kazu."

"You owe me one, Kenta."

"That I do. Whoops, looks like I don't owe you anymore!"

"Ow! SHINE! …no, you don't, unfortunately."

*gasp* "ungh…luckily we heal fast."

A breathless 'yeah' was heard before the sound of flesh hitting dirt was heard. By now, the battle had gone long enough for the Mystics to gain severe and non-severe injuries. Juri was running around the place killing Evils and healing her friends when they needed it. Thanks to all the training they had gone through none of them were even close to exhausted. Sweaty, yes, exhausted, definitely not. 

~~~~

"GRRRRRRRRRAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!" Takato growled as he shot off a ball of flame instantly incinerating a large group of Evils. He was now in his impressive dragon form and killing of Evils by the thousands. All around him were piles of ashes. Only a few were dead, burnt, and smoking bodies. To go near dragon-Takato would be a suicide mission. He had enough molten lava and fury inside him to battle for weeks. 

While Takato was taking care of the remaining Evils, Henry and Akuma were fighting it out, both at equal levels. Luckily, Akuma was hurt more than Henry. Unluckily, Henry was more tired than Akuma. In a sudden and unsuspected move, Akuma leaped towards Henry and held him fast.

Henry gasped in surprise and let out a breathless "eep!" Henry was now pinned against Akuma with one arm behind his back and Akuma was holding the other arm. His legs were tied together thanks to thin tendrils of black smoke, representing Akuma's power. Akuma's only free hand reached around and twisted Henry to face him.

"Well well. Look at what we have here! Looks like I have finally gotten you, ne?" Akuma breathed, gently tilting up Henry's face. Akuma leaned down and caught Henry's lips in a fierce kiss. Henry struggled to no avail, his mind screaming in anger, fear, hurt, and guilt.

/NO! LET ME GO!/ Henry screamed in his mind. Takato, upon hearing the message, shot one fiery blast, incinerating all remaining Evils. He almost burnt his friends in his anger.

/HENRY! AKUMA, YOU LET HIM GO THIS INSTANT!/ Takato mind-shouted. Akuma winced from the force of Takato's voice in his mind and shook his head slightly to clear it. Rika and the others had also received Henry's cry and had immediately turned towards the captive Henry, beyond furious dragon, and the victorious Akuma.

"Let him go, damn you!" Rika shouted, her fist glowing blue. Juri's eyes glowed green and every single plant within miles came tearing straight towards Akuma and Henry. Takato, seeing what Juri was planning on, shot a stream of fire at the plants and was met by Ryo's electricity, Kazu's metal, Kenta's wood, Mel's wind, and Rika's ice. Together, the attacks all combined formed an Elemental Dragon. Hoping against hope, they all watched their creation speed towards Henry and his captor.

Akuma's eyes opened wide at the site of the fearsome Dragon and slackened his hold on Henry. Immediately, Henry sent an attack straight into Akuma's mind, causing Akuma to stumble back, clutching his head, and screaming in pain. Henry leaped out of the Elemental Dragon's way just in time for it to hit Akuma head on full force.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Akuma screamed a high keening scream filled with pain. When the dust and debris cleared, it revealed Akuma to be still standing although in terrible shape. The others nervously watched him sway on his feet. Luckily, Akuma didn't seem to be able to do anything considering he looked extremely disoriented.

/He's still standing…how can that be?! The attack was so strong! Henry, are you ok?/ Takato sent frantically.

/I'm okay. I'm just a little shook up. Not hurt or anything…I'm so sorry Takato. I kissed Akuma./ Henry sent back, guiltily. 

/No, you didn't. _He_ kisssed _you_, not the other way around. If it was the other way around I wouldn't be talking to you right now. It's not your fault, so don't feel guilty about it./ Takato sent, hoping his mind-voice sounded soothing.

/Yeah, okay. Oh, he's coming around!/ Henry desperately sent.

/I am going to MURDER him!/ The others viscously sent to Henry. Henry looked startled for a moment before a look of understanding crossed his face.

"Well, too bad _you_ had to come along-the kiss was going _so_ well!" Akuma said, licking his lips and staring lustfully at Henry. Henry shrank back in disgust.

"Yeah, well, too bad for you! No one makes a move on _my_ mate without _my_ consent! Those who _do_ make a move end up regretting they were ever born." Takato threatened. 

"I'm so scared that I'm shaking in my boots! Look!" Akuma pointed down at his booted feet and mimicked a shaking movement. Takato growled and attacked Akuma.

"Takato, no!" Henry shouted but it was too late. Akuma smirked and turned the attack right back at the Taka-dragon. Taka-dragon's eyes widened in fear as his own attack hit himself. He was thrown far into the trees, leaving a wide dusty path in his wake. When Taka-dragon finally came to a stop, he involuntarily changed back into his human form. Takato laid motionless in the midst of fallen branches and trees.

"Oh no! Takato!" Juri gasped, running to her unmoving friend. Kenta and Kazu followed close behind, knowing their knowledge of potions was going to be a big help.

"I don't think so, kiddies! Evil Slash!" Akuma threw his attack straight at the three's backs. 

"Juri watch out!" Rika screamed at the same time as Ryo shouted "Kenta, Kazu, behind you!". In a desperate attempt, she threw out the biggest and strongest shield she had ever formed. Born out of worry, love, fear, hate, sadness, joy, and anger, it was enough to protect Juri and the other two. Unfortunately, it also used up what remained of Rika's strength. Rika fell to the ground spent and unconscious. She was now unprotected. Juri stopped in her tracks, torn between helping Takato and running to her girlfriend. Kenta and Kazu ran on to their childhood friend. Juri's hesitation cost her dearly.

"Shadow ball!" Akuma quickly threw out a ball of shadows straight at the torn girl, only to be met by a briar wall. Akuma grunted and strengthened his attack, "No, you will not escape my wrath!" 

"Yes she will!" two voices shouted, adding their strength to Juri's wall. With Kenta's stone and Kazu's steel, Akuma was hard pushed to destroy it. The thought of three "teenagers" angered Akuma even more and with a mighty heave, he tore through the shields and hit the three Mystics dead on. 

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Juri, Kenta, and Kazu screamed in horrific agony as they were thrown through trees. They finally came to a stop after hitting an enormous boulder. Ryo and Mel stared in horror at their fallen friends before turning in anger at the one who caused them so much pain.

Together they spoke and held hands, "You crossed us once, never do it again! [7]". They held their clasped hands together and formed a giant power ball. Mel's and Ryo's eyes were glowing with their combined supernatural power and as their power ball grew to a size so great it could destroy a planet, their auras flared until it lit up the night sky to Mystic and Evil eyes.

"Destructo Ball!" shouted Mel and Ryo together, firing their ball right at Akuma. Akuma frantically retaliated with his own attack but was not strong enough to push back the combined power of Mel and Ryo's attack.

"Ungh!" Akuma grunted as he was hit and thrown back. Mel and Ryo released their entwined hands and immediately clung onto each other for support. Henry rushed over to them and started to heal them. Soon, Mel and Ryo were back on their feet, desperately trying to heal their friends before Akuma could recover from such a deadly blast.

/I wish that was enough to destroy Akuma!/ Mel thought furiously to Ryo.

/Yeah, me too. Hey, who knows? Maybe it was strong enough!/ Ryo sent hopefully back.

/Fat chance./ Mel replied unhappily. Ryo didn't answer. As Mel and Ryo quietly and quickly worked together side by side, they were able to revive Rika. 

"Augh…what happened? Is Akuma dead? Is the battle over? Is Henry okay? Are you okay? Is Takato and the doofus pair okay? Is Juri okay?!" Rika asked in a rush, grabbing onto Ryo's collar. Mel gently pried Rika's hands off of Ryo.

"You collapsed exhausted after protecting Juri. No, no, yes, yes, we don't know, and Henry's healing her right now." Mel answered quickly. Rika blinked but nodded. She quickly stood up and then decided that standing up so fast maybe wasn't the best of ideas. With Mel and Ryo steadying her, however, she regained her equilibrium and ran to Juri's side. Henry was still healing her but was almost finished. 

Not caring that she had just been healed, Rika immediately leant her limited skill of healing to Henry, speeding up the process. Mel and Ryo started to work on Kenta and Kazu, them being relatively undamaged. 

/Poor Juri. She was hit directly while these two were not. Hope they all come out fine./ Ryo murmured to no-one in his mind.

/Juri is going to be okay. Those two are also going to be okay. After all, Kenta and Kazu are like those balloon things that always bounce right back up./ Rika answered with obvious relief. Mel and Ryo finished their work and looked up. Rika was still slowly healing Juri but Henry was nowhere to be found.

"Where's Henry?!" Mel asked worriedly. 

There was a brief pause as Rika finished up before she answered, "He's gone off to heal Takato. Juri! How are you feeling?"

"Mmm, much better. Thanks. How about you?" Juri asked, smiling.

"Fine, thanks. Oy, dorks! You alright?" Rika asked, trying to prevent her concern from showing through. Kenta and Kazu still noticed though, but decided not to comment on it.

"Fine, no thanks to _you_. Hey, where'd Henry go? Is Takato okay?" Kazu asked, looking around.

"Henry's with Takato. Let's go join them." Ryo stated and they all disappeared in a flash of light, only to reappear in another flash of light by Takato's and Henry's side. Henry was still healing Takato, as his injuries were severe. Juri kneeled down across from Henry and helped him heal Takato. Rika noted, with some concern, Henry's pale face and the line of perspiration that was beginning to start. She also took note of the worry lines on his young face and his quickened breathing. Juri was also beginning to show signs of strain although she had just started. Mel suddenly gave a start as she felt a dark presence draw near once more.

"He's coming! Oh Seraphymon…Guys, hurry! He's coming! Damn it all! What are we going to do?" Mel asked frantically.

"We'll stall him, that's what." Rika said with a determined glint in her eyes. The others grimly nodded and formed a line in front of their friends.

*gasp wheeze choke cough* "You thought *gasp* that you could *cough* get rid of me so easily?!" Akuma demanded, going into a fit of coughing.

"We were hoping we'd be able to. Looks like we did a good job in hurting you, though." Kenta said snidely. Akuma glared at him and threw a black lightening bolt at the Mystics. It disintegrated upon contact with the Mystics invisible shield, however. By now, Rika and co. (excluding Takato, Henry, and Juri, that is.), had joined hands. They had erected a barrier, continuing to add layers to it in hopes that it will buy enough time for Henry and Juri to finish healing Takato.

/How much longer?/ Rika asked Juri.

/Not much! Henry had healed most of the major injuries-we're now closing up the rest of the injuries./ Juri instantly replied.

/Well, go faster! We can only hold this up a couple minutes longer!/ Rika sent desperately. Juri didn't answer. She just increased her focus on her healing, willing the process to go faster. Henry never even flinched.

"Looks like you can't hold your shield up for much longer. That's too bad because I can continue my attack! Shadow blade come forth!" Akuma summoned a shadow blade into his hands and struck the shield, increasing pressure onto the one spot. Rika and co. struggled to hold their shield up but knew it was going to come down extremely soon. None of them were 100% healthy-it was just a temporary cure.

"Can't-hold-much-longer! *gasp* Juri, please hurry!" Rika begged, tears coming to her eyes from the pain of holding the shield up. The others were too busy trying to stay standing and holding the shield up to say anything.

Just as the shield was about to come down, a victorious cry of "Done!" issued forth from Juri's lips. The shield collapsed, only to be replaced with a much stronger shield from Henry. Rika and co. turned around to see an elated but tired Henry hugging a dazed but unhurt Takato. Juri was sitting next to them, looking like she was about to collapse but happy.

"Takato, you can't do anything to strenuous-you'll only re-open your wounds. What we just did is temporary-it won't hold much more than several hours." Juri warned. Takato just nodded before turning to look at his lover and then his primary source of hatred. Currently, Akuma was trying in vain to break through the shield. However, holding the shield up was taking it's toll on Henry. With one powerful hit of a Grim Reaper blast, the shield fell and Henry's hands snapped up to grab his head as he screamed in pain. 

"*gasp* That *gasp* was a LOT harder than it was worth! Forget about owning you-I'll kill you instead! Shinigami come forth!" Akuma hissed, summoning the God of Death to his aid. Shinigami attacked Henry and his friends but was unable to kill-only to stun. Henry had put up a last minute shield around him and the others preventing them from being killed. Shinigami disintegrated as Henry fired was small but powerful light attack straight at it.

"Light angel, lend me your help!" Henry cried, summoning a beautiful angel to his aid. Hikari, the light angel, flew forward and attacked Akuma, severely injuring the Evil demon.

"Oomph! That's it? Apocalypse! Come and wreck Hell upon this place and its inhabitants!" 

"Seal of the Dark Gates bind!"

"You're not getting away with this!"

"Bring it on, Akuma!"

"Shadow Blade, come forth!"

"Dark-light blade, come forth!"

Henry and Akuma rushed at each other, meeting in a powerful explosion. They continue to fly at each other, occasionally getting hits in. Soon, they were moving so fast you could see nothing but the flashes of light in where they made contact with each other. The battle, instead of slowing down, continued to speed up and grow in intensity. The others slowly came out of their various state of stun only to see a furious battle going on between their close friend and hated enemy. The duel continued for several more minutes, only to end with an earth-shaking explosion, sending both combatants flying in opposite directions. Both enemies flipped and landed on their feet, their weapons at ready position.

Henry's friend quickly soaked in their friend's and enemy's state. Henry was in worse shape than Akuma, both were bleeding from numerous wounds, and both were tired and out of breath. Henry didn't seem to notice that his friends had snapped out of their stunned states but Akuma did. The light side realized that Akuma had seen them conscious when they saw his eyes light up with unholy glee. With a shouted battle cry, Akuma launched at Henry only to suddenly veer off course and attack his friends. They were able to dodge out of the direct path of the weapon but were thrown back by the aftershock.

"No!" Henry cried, seeing his friends thrown into the air. "Akuma you coward! I can't believe you attacked helpless innocents! Your battle is with me, not them! Turn around and face me like the scum you are."

"Harsh words for someone who's going to die by my hand. Care to change what you just said?" Akuma asked, turning around to face Henry.

"No, but I should be asking you the same thing. Any last words?"

"Yes, just one. Die, Henry Wong of the Mystics!" Akuma charged at Henry, his weapon straight in front of him. Henry leaped a second later, his own weapon straight out in front of him. The two weapons collided with enormous force and disappeared. Akuma and Henry were left standing, weaponless, and panting with exhaustion. 

"Don't tell me you're already tired, old man!" Henry exclaimed, smirking.

"Look at yourself and tell me who's old." Akuma snapped back.

Again, the battle resumed with extra vigor, different summons and blasts meeting at the center. Henry's friends came to once more and weakly stumbled over to the fight. They were so exhausted by now that all they wanted to do was lie down and sleep forever. But they couldn't. Not until they knew if Henry was going to make it out alive.

"Shadow tsunami!" A black tsunami headed straight towards Henry and before he could retaliate, Henry was hit and thrown back.

"Unghh…" Henry moaned in pain as he shakily stood up. Akuma quickly fired five shadow blasts in succession at Henry, before he could recover and protect himself. Takato, without thinking, shouted out his lover's name and jumped in front of the attack. Takato painfully turned so his back was facing the upcoming blasts and hugged Henry, forever protecting him. Henry's eyes widened in terror at Takato's plight but was prevented from doing anything about it as the rest of his friends came up behind Takato, each protecting the ones they cared about. When the barrage of blasts stopped, Takato and the others slumped to the ground, Takato being held up only by Henry's arms.

"No…Takato…why?" Henry whispered brokenly. He harshly wiped away the tears that had started to fall and stood up, walking to the front of his group of friends. Akuma's eyes widened in terror as he saw Henry slowly walk up to him. He had always loved Henry's eyes but now, now, he was terrified of them. They glowed with an unnatural light and his aura was rapidly changing colors. Henry's whole body started to glow with unrestrained power and Akuma now knew why this young Mystic had survived his life for so long and why he and so many others were addicted to him. Henry's hands began glowing stronger and slowly spread to the rest of his body until it looked like he was covered in color-changing flames. His expression had also changed-no longer was it angry and determined, instead, his look was one of cold determination and hatred-all directed at Akuma.

Soft, biting, menacing words reached Akuma's ears although it looked like Henry wasn't even talking, "_You killed my race, you destroyed my life, and now, you killed my only family and my love. No longer will you hurt me-I have had enough! Killing my race and destroying my life was one thing, but now, now you've gone too far. No one hurts the ones I love and gets away with it! And especially _NO ONE _ever gets away with killing Takato, my lover! Akuma, I'm going to send you to the darkest and deepest pits of Hell and make sure you _NEVER ESCAPE!" Henry hissed, slowly stalking closer to Akuma. Akuma continued backing up until he could back up no more. Instead, he began summoning his most powerful and darkest summon-Shinigami Reaper. Henry noticed, however, but did nothing about it.

__

"You may kill me but you're going down with me! You will not escape my wrath any longer." Henry stopped walking and stood still. He spread his arms out low, tilted his head up to the sky, and closed his eyes. Akuma increased the speed of his summoning spell, in hopes that he would kill Henry before Henry killed him.

__

"Anger, Fear, Love, and Mirth, hear my plea, hear my call. Dark and Light, Ice and Fire, Wind and Electricity, Stone and Wood, lend me your power-lend me your strength! God of Chaos let your power run through my blood, use my body to wield your chaos and fury unto this Evil Being before me!" Henry had started floating up to the sky, only to stop in the light of the moonlight as he finished his spell. Akuma had just finished his summon at the same time. 

"Shingami Reaper, wreck your havoc!" Akuma screamed desperately. A dark and menacing figure that came from nightmares and fear rose out of the shadows.

__

"Chatoic Destruction!" Henry shouted using his own body as a portal to summon the God of Chaos. His body glowed from bright silver, to pure white, and finally, ultimate black. The God of Chaos emerged from Henry's body, just as Henry's friends became conscious for the third time.

/Takato…ashiteru…/ Henry whispered into his mind-link with Takato.

"Henry! No! Don't! You'll die! HENRY!" Takato screamed, running to his boyfriend, hoping against all hope that his boyfriend would hear his pleas and stop. His pleas were to no avail as the Chaos God fully emerged and Henry plummeted out of the sky, lifeless into Takato's waiting arms.

"No…Henry…you can't die…not today…not on our anniversary…" Takato sobbed, clutching Henry to him, hoping to find a heartbeat, a pulse, anything to signify that Henry was still alive.

"Takato, look! Akuma is winning!" Kenta screamed, pointing up into the sky. It was true, Shinigami Reaper, in Akuma's body, was definitely winning against Chaos. Takato stood, carrying Henry in his arms and started walking.

"Takato, where do you think you're going?! Chaos could lose and Henry would have sacrificed his life for nothing!" Rika screamed, enraged. Takato said nothing, only walked until he was underneath Chaos.

"Chaos! You took my only love's life only to lose, but I won't let that happen! I lend you my power!" At his last words, Takato raised his arms into the sky, his power flowing out of him in a steady stream to Chaos. The others finally understood and stood with Takato, offering up their power too.

/We're doing this for Henry…/ Rika said before Takato could ask them why. He only nodded. Above them, Chaos started to glow and with Takato and Henry's, Rika and Juri's, Kenta and Kazu's, Ryo and Mel's combined power, it unleashed it's [8] most powerful attack and destroyed Shinigami Reaper along with Akuma. Before Chaos disappeared, streaks of red, blue, yellow, green, gray, brown, and white flew from its body and returned to Takato, Rika, Ryo, Juri, Kazu, Kenta, and Mel's bodies, respectively. Their power had been returned and their life had been spared. Takato and his friends anxiously turned their faces to the sky again in hopes of seeing a streak of silver leave Chaos. There was nothing. Rika and the others slowly turned towards Takato, afraid of what they would see. Tears started and fell down their cheeks in rivers at Takato's heartbroken and empty expression.

"Takato…" Juri whispered, only to be ignored. Takato slowly turned towards his dead love and picked him up. He began the long and lonely trek back home.

"Henry…ashiteru…" was a soft whisper that was taken by the wind before it could be heard. Two crystal drops fell from magenta eyes and dropped silently to the ground where it was soaked up by the dirt. Behind the two broken lovers, their family slowly walked behind them, leaving the burning ground in which everything began-and ultimately ended.

A/N: …I don't feel like speaking…this chapter put me in a somber mood. Hey, will you look at that! It's 12:25am! *attempts some laughter but fails* oh…I hope you like this chapter. Sorry if some of the scenes seem stupid and stuff. I also hope this chapter wasn't too long…please read and review. It'd make me feel a lot better.

Shadow: …

[1] Thanks Mel for giving me this date! If you want to find out what's so special about this date, read her stories!

[2] Did I mention that the Digimon cast was going to be really really old? 

[3] Based on life experience, ppl. It's good advice…wish I had followed it.

[4] Sorry, couldn't resist! Hehe From BtVS, btw.

[5] Don't hurt me! I was making this up as I went along.

[6] Yeah, I got this from Golden Sun. Hey! I suck at making up names, okay?

[7] From the Princess Bride when Buttercup is talking to Westly

[8] Dunno the gender.

b8.23.02 e8.24.03


	17. Forever Love

A/N: I actually had an idea for this chapter while writing chapter 16. ^_^' This is going to be part song-fic and really mushy. Let's see…ah, yes. I'll have two songs on this chapter-one is "Fly Me to the Moon" from Evangelion. Hope you like it. OH, this chapter is also based on the song. Also, sorry to all of you who wanted chapter 16 to be the last chapter. You don't have to read this chapter if you don't want 'cause chapter 16 is a good ending, come to think of it. ^_- I just wrote this chapter because it seemed like a good idea and I still think it's a good idea. Oh yeah, thanx for the reviews and one flame! Creepy flame though…I wonder who they are 'cause they sure know more about me than some of my other reviewers. o.O

Jillian4: umm good question. If I knew more about the show, then maybe. For now, I highly doubt it. Why?

Mel: Thanks for your review! You've been a great help in the development of your character (then again, it is you) and the progress of my story!

r a d i a n c e: ^^ Thanks for your review also! Kinda weird, but I still liked it. ^^ no offense or anything

Henrika: Thanx for continuing to read my fic although there wasn't a Henry/Rika paring. You gave me some great advice in your reviews and I really appreciate it. ^^

Tiffany: OK, now this is gonna be weird. Whoever you are, you obviously know me so mind telling me who you really are? Don't worry-I'm not mad at you. I'm actually amused and sort of nervous, but I'm not mad. However, I admit it. Your *ahem* _user name_ is my name and that's just totally weird. You could be one of my friend's sister but she's only in elementary. Also, I have to correct a few things because that's my nature. By the way, here's your review:

Old grl, this story has no plot, no action, and no humor. I'd give this a 0/10. you have to work harder if you want to please me. keep up the bad work  
-Anonymous

The humor thing, I agree with you because my sense of humor is either very dry or absolutely non-existing.

First off, you _don't_ use the author's real name or whatever as _your_ user name. You make up your own. You definitely don't put my name up on the internet without _my_ permission. I may be a girl, but I can kick some serious ass when pushed. And guess what? Your lack of thought is _seriously_ driving me to the edge. 

Second thing, I'M NOT WRITING THIS TO PLEASE ANYONE EXCEPT FOR MYSELF! MY WORK IS TO PLEASE NOBODY! LIKE IT, GREAT! DON'T LIKE IT, DEAL WITH IT! DON'T YOU _DARE_ TRY AND TELL ME TO TRY AND PLEASE YOU! I wrote this story for myself. Me, myself, and I. 

Third thing, think before you act. You _never_ put someone's real name on the internet without their assent. It's rude and can get you into a lot of trouble. Only reason why I'm not too pissed off about you doing that is because my first and last name is quite common. You are an IDIOT to do such a thing. Are you in preschool?! Hel-lo! If you know me, you should either be in junior high or highschool. By then, you should have MORE COMMON SENSE THAN WHAT YOU OWN!

Fourth and final thing: I am NOT OLD. Where in the hell did you get that idea?! Hell, I can't even drive! I'm not going to call you old, but I'm going to call you YOUNG and IMMATURE. 

Remember, I'm not completely mad at you. Just furious with your comment on "work harder if you want to please me." 

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN DIGIMON, I DON'T OWN "FLY ME TO THE MOON" AND I DON'T OWN "FOREVER LOVE"! THEY ARE OWNED BY THEIR RESPECTIVE…UHH OWNERS! I just remember the lyrics to the first song and I copied the lyrics from for "Forever Love". Is that illegal?

(…): A/N

/…/: thoughts

*…*: actions

Chapter 17: Forever Love

~dream sequence~

"Mmm…" Takato moaned as he groggily blinked open his eyes. He reached over to pull his boyfriend in closer but felt nothing but air. "Henry! Henry? Where are you?"

"Out here on the balcony." Henry replied, unmoving.

*yawn* "What are you doing out here in the dark and cold?" Takato asked while stretching.

"Thinking…" was the quiet response.

"Oh? About what?" Takato sat down next to Henry and turned to look at his slightly shorter significant other.

"My dreams…the moon and stars…things like that." Henry continued to look up at the velvet black sky where the stars were twinkling merrily and the moon was shining her soft light over the quiet world.

"Let's hear them!" enthused Takato staring up a bright star.

"Huh? Oh, you mean my dreams?" Henry asked, slightly confused.

"Uh huh."

"Well…I'd like to fly to the moon and play among the stars. It's be cool jump around on the moon and play with the stars." Henry said wistfully. Takato turned to look at his boyfriend, studying the part sad and part happy look on his face.

__

Fly me to the moon,

And let me play among the stars.

"I'd also like to visit other planets-Venus, Jupiter, Mars, especially Pluto!"

"Pluto? Why Pluto?"

"I want to see if it has other seasons besides winter! Wouldn't it be great to find out if the planets have seasons like Earth?"

"Yeah, I s'pose so."

__

Let me see what spring is like on Jupiter and Mars.

Henry sighed, bowing his head a little. "I'll never be able to do that though. It's a stupid dream but it's what I've been dreaming about since I was little."

Takato reached out and took Henry's hand. Pulling Henry onto his lap, he placed a light kiss on his forehead.

"It's not a stupid dream. I think it's a good dream. Want to hear my dream?" Takato assured, hugging Henry tightly. Henry nodded and snuggled in closer.

__

In other words, hold my hand.

In other words, darling, kiss me.

"My dream is to become a singer. I love to sing. My mom used to sing me to sleep when I was a baby. She'd sing 'Forever Love' by X-Japan. I loved, and still do, that song. When Mom died, I remembered and treasured the lyrics in my heart. The song is a part of me and always holds a special place in my heart. 

"When Dad died, I'd always sing that song every night, trying to ease the loneliness in my heart. I'd continue singing and singing until I couldn't sing anymore because my throat was so dried up." reminisced Takato, smiling as he thought of his happy childhood. 

__

Fill my heart with song,

And let me sing forever more.

"Now, I don't often sing that song because I have you." Takato laughed, pecking Henry quickly on the lips. Henry grinned and returned the favor.

"I still dream my dream but not as much as before. You've made me realized that all I ever need and want is you. You should feel special because very few people have a place in my heart." Henry smirked as he turned around to face Takato. Takato stuck his tongue out at Henry who playfully nipped at it.

"Hey!" Takato cried.

"Hey yourself." Retorted Henry, tightening his hold on the older boy.

"Remember how I used to be afraid of being alone and you were always alone?" Takato asked, suddenly changing the topic.

"Yeah…" Henry murmured quietly, disliking the topic.

"Now I'm no longer afraid of being alone because you'll never leave me."

"You're right…I'm also no longer alone because I have you."

"If anything happens to us, we'll make it through together because…"

"We have each other!" Takato and Henry finished at the same time, dissolving into a fit of giggles.

__

You are all I long for, all I worship and adore.

"Taka…do you really love me? Or is this just some brief love affair?" Henry suddenly asked. Takato looked shocked.

"Of course I love you! This is –definitely- not some brief love affair…unless you wish it to be one." Takato replied, looking hurt.

"No! It's just that everybody who have told me that they loved me ends up leaving me or using me for their own gains."

"I would never do that. I love you."

"I'm sorry I doubted you. I would never use you either."

"It's alright."

"…ashiteru Taka."

"Ashiteru."

__

In other words, please be true!

In other words, I love you.

In other words-

I love you.

"Hey, Henry? I want to show you something. Come on!" exclaimed Takato as he grabbed Henry's hand and took off.

"Wha-? Where are we going?" Henry asked, bewildered.

"You'll see." Together, Takato and Henry flew to the East, heading for the moon. Soon, they were flying over lush treetops and sparkling blue rivers and creeks. They flew below the night sky and stars. Henry was beginning to enjoy himself when they landed.

"Taka…" Henry started.

"Hush. Look around you." Takato released Henry's hand and took in the bewildered, then happy surprise that flitted across Henry's face.

"Oh…It's beatiful! I mean, cool! I mean beautiful! It's like being on the moon and being surrounded by stars!" Henry gasped, looking around. They were on the top of a mountain, surrounded by stars. The moon bathed the whole place in moonlight and white moths fluttered around flowers while fireflies flit around their heads.

"Sorry I can't fly you to the real moon or let you see what spring is like on other planets, but I can let you play among the stars in a setting that's like the moon." Takato apologized, looking sad.

"Takato, this is perfect! This is better than I could have ever dreamt about! How did you find this place?"

"I was feeling down once and decided to explore a bit. I came upon this place and have been coming here often. You reminded me of this place with your dream. You and Juri are the only ones who have ever seen this place." 

"Thank you for showing me this place. Will you sing me the song?"

"Eh…let's play first and then I'll sing it, okay?" Takato said uncomfortably. Henry looked crestfallen but nodded. 

Takato never did sing the song to Henry.

~end dream sequence~

In his sleep, Takato smiled sadly as silver tears ran down his face. Juri, with her own tears softly falling, closed the door to Takato's temporary room and backed out.

Unbidden, Rika reached out and enveloped Juri in a hug, as she fought to hold back her own tears. Behind them, Kenta and Kazu were morosely picking at the carpet, trying to forget what had happened last night.

Ryo was holding Mel as she sobbed against his shirt. He sadly thought back to when they arrived at the warehouse.

~flashback~

"Takato? Are-are you going to be okay?" Kazu asked tentatively. Takato didn't answer. He only continued to walk to the spare bedroom no one used. Kazu sighed but didn't inquire any further knowing he wouldn't receive an answer. 

Takato steadily walked forward, Henry in his arms, to the spare bedroom. He never wanted to see his and Henry's room ever again. It held too many memories…to many feelings for Takato to take on right now.

Juri watched the lost boy as he closed the door behind him. 

/Why won't he cry? He's only shed two tears at the…place./ She thought to herself. Nobody dared to mention the place where the battle had gone on, in fear of doing more damage to Takato's mind and heart. Still, they doubted if they could damage his heart and mind any further, considering what had happened to Henry was the worst thing that could have ever happened.

"We should clean up. I can't stand the thought of wearing these clothes ever again." Mel said disgustingly. Ryo nodded and followed her to their own bedroom. Rika and Juri also left after awhile. Kenta and Kazu didn't move, however. Out of them all, they were the two who knew Takato best, after Henry.

"Let's go." Kenta said.

"Yeah, let's." Kazu replied. Together, they walked into Takato's temporary bedroom and found him rocking back and forth, humming the last stanzas of a song. Henry looked like he was asleep except he was far too pale and there was no distinctive fall and rise of his chest. Kazu frowned as he recognized the tune. 

"Takato…talk to us. We're your friends and we want to help you." Urged Kenta as he tried not to look at Henry.

Takato continued humming. Kazu fidgeted as he heard Takato repeat the song over and over again. Why was he repeating the same song over and over?

"Taka…that song…why have you started humming it again?" Kazu asked. Takato stopped humming and turned a blank and empty gaze on his friend. Kenta and Kazu flinched at his gaze.

"…Henry asked me to sing the song to him. I never did. Maybe if I had sung the song to him on that night we flew to the moon and played in the stars…maybe…" Takato didn't finish as he turned to look at Henry.

"Oh…Taka, I know this seems insensitive, but you can't have Henry stay here like this. We all want to give him a proper burial but it's up to you." Kenta said quietly.

"I know…I'll take care of it…don't worry about it." was the whispered reply. Kenta and Kazu left, less than satisfied with the exchange. Takato hadn't cried even one bit.

"Is he okay?" a small voice asked. Kazu and Kenta looked around in confusion and realized that their friends had come back out.

"…no…I don't think he'll ever be okay…we're going to lose him…" Kazu whispered as he passed through the door into his room. Kenta followed, never looking up. Nobody said a word as they watched the two leave because they knew what was going to happen if Henry died. There was nothing they could do to change the fact. But they could never accept it.

~Takato's pov~

/Why…/

My mind was utterly blank. Well, not exactly. No matter how hard I tried to stop them, memories kept on flooding into my head, especially the one where I promised that I would never let Henry be hurt or killed. Shaking my head, I realized that when I made that promise, Henry had told me that it would be broken. I didn't believe him and insisted that this one promise I would never break. Looks like I was wrong and Henry was right again. Now, Henry was dead and I couldn't do anything to prevent it.

/Why…/

Laughing internally, I realized that I was still humming "Forever Love" over and over. Why didn't I sing it when Henry asked me to? He had not asked me again after that and I had forgotten. I wish I had sung it to him. I wish I had flown him to the moon. I wish I had done so many things that I knew I could no longer live my life alone without Henry. It's impossible. I made up my mind to go back to our special place. There, I would bury Henry because I knew he would want to be buried there. For the rest of the day, I stayed in the room with Henry, never moving, never eating, never stopping my song. The others would periodically come to check on me but didn't try to force me to do anything. Their worry and concern touched me but it was no longer welcome.

/_Ashiteru Taka-koi/_

I gave a start when I heard Henry's voice. Straining with all my might, I tried to hear his voice again but to no avail. Maybe it was my imagination…maybe I'm going insane…maybe…maybe I really heard him. Mechanically, I stood up and went to the desk in the corner. In a drawer, I found a letter opener. Maybe this is _my_ destiny…no. This _is_ my destiny. 

"I broke a promise, Henry. I won't do it again." I whispered to Henry's cold body. "Remember the day when I promised you that I would follow and stay by your side no matter the cost? That's the promise I'm going to keep. Wait for me, I'm coming!"

With that, I plunged the knife into my heart, not without last words, though.

"I'm coming…I kept my promise…wait for me…" 

~the others~

The others jerked upright as they felt something disappear inside their heart, mind, and soul. Their eyes widened in realization. As a single entity, they all jumped up and ran to the bedroom. Flinging open the door, they realized that their fear had come true. Takato had killed himself to be with Henry. No one moved or said anything. Juri was the first to leave the room, allowing the two lifeless lovers time together. The others followed suit, Mel being the last to leave. She had known them the shortest amount of time but was affected more deeply than the others. She had barely gotten to know them when their lives had been taken so brutally away by one of her own kin.

"I'm sorry, you guys. If it weren't for us Evils, you could have lived a happy and long life." Mel whispered into the room. Just as she was leaving, two soft touches brushed her mind and she recognized them to be Henry and Takato. A smile was brought to her face as she realized that everything had turned out just fine. Takato and Henry were together and the world had been saved.

"Mel? Are you okay? What are you looking so happy about? We'd like to know, if you don't mind." Ryo said, looking sad and confused.

"I'm fine. It's Takato and Henry. I felt them just as I left the room. Everything has turned out just fine." Mel answered cryptically. 

"What do you mean by 'just fine'? Two of our closest friends just died! Everything is –not- 'just fine'!" Juri cried, clenching her fists and shutting her honey-gold eyes.

"Yes, it is. Henry and Takato are together and that's what matters. They're together and the world has been saved from Akuma. That's what they told me." Mel said confidently.

"Told you? You mean they're alive?!" Rika hopefully asked.

"No, they're dead. When all of you left, I was the last one inside and I apologized to them. If it weren't for us Evils, they would have lived a long and happy life. But when I left, I felt two psychic brushes against my mind. I recognized the touch to be Henry's and Takato's. I felt that they were telling me that everything was 'just fine' and that they were happy. They also told me that we should all live on our lives but to not forget them. If we forgot them, they would haunt us." Mel gave laughed at the last part and was joined in by Ryo, Kenta, Kazu, and Rika.

"That's exactly like those two. Always craving attention, well, Takato was always craving attention. Henry just received attention whether he wanted it or not." Ryo said, wiping away tears of mirth and relief from his eyes. Juri still remained unconvinced until she too felt the psychic brush that Mel had felt. The others felt it too.

"Henry…Takato…" all of them whispered, happy and content looks on their faces. 

"Alright, I believe you. I think we should give them a proper burial." Juri said, softly.

"But where?" Rika questioned.

"I know the perfect spot. They would want to be buried where they flew to the moon and played among the stars." Juri said, smiling at the memory when Takato had let out a little bit of what happened that special night years ago. 

Kazu frowned, as he remembered Takato saying the same phrase. "What do you mean by that? Takato said the same thing. He also spoke of The song."

"Oh…I have a CD of that song. Takato burned it for me when I asked him to sing it for me. I loved the song so much that he offered to record him singing it. I have it here somewhere, let me go find it." Juri sprinted away to her room to search for the CD.

"…" 

Before anybody could say or do anything, she was back in a flash with a CD held triumphantly in her hand.

"Voila! Now, we just have to get Henry's and Takato's ummm…bodies." Juri looked sad again. Ryo and Rika nodded and went into the room, coming out with a red bag and a silver bag, obviously containing Henry and Takato. 

"Wow…those are beautiful body…um, bags. Where…?" Juri left the question unfinished, knowing that it would be better not to know. The red bag sparkled in the dim light and had a picture of a mighty dragon breathing out crimson flames stitched onto it. It's magenta eyes glittered and it's claws flashed gold while the scales sparkled red. The whole picture had the feeling that Takato's own power was within the dragon. The silver bag had an angel on it, one wing was feathered and white while the other was leathery and black. The angel's eyes were silver and his hair was midnight blue. He wore a robe of silver that glowed with Henry's power. Both of the pictures looked like Henry's and Takato's true form.

"Let's go," was all Juri said before she took Rika's hand. They all connected hands and formed a circle, disappearing in a puff of smoke instead of light. They reappeared in the spot Henry and Takato had fulfilled Henry's longtime dream. Unawares, they gasped in awe at the site. What was more surprising was the fact that they could _feel_ Henry's and Takato's aura hanging about the place.

"So beautiful…" Rika breathed.

"I understand now what Takato was talking about." Kazu said, his lips quirking up in a small smile. Juri and Kenta quietly made a big square hole in the middle of the field, where the moonbeam was shining. Everybody lowered Takato and Henry into their grave, ensuring a gentle landing. They didn't have a coffin but they didn't mind, knowing that the two bags would have more protection than any coffin could provide. Once Takato and Henry were settled into their combined graves, Juri filled the hole up with dirt and petals using her powers. On top of the grave, grass grew as she fed her power into the fertile dirt. Flowers sprung up from the new grass and formed an elegant tombstone. One by one, the rest added their own powers to the grave and tombstone, ensuring the place would remain protected, unfound, and never dying. Then they all left after they each blessed the grave with their love, care, hope, dreams, sadness, anger, guilt, friendship, and family. As the last person faded out of sight, two glowing lights were absorbed into the grave. A red and silver light glowed over the grave and tombstone than disappeared. The gravesite was to be forgotten for many years but never the two beings buried in it.

The moon, stars, and wind were the only ones to hear a whispered "I love you" as the two lovers reunited in their place of dreams.

A/N: That was awfully sweet and mushy, don't you think? Ooo, before I forget, try reading the part after the dream sequence while listening to "Forever Love" by X-Japan. It fits, considering the song was one of the main…things. I hope you like this chapter as much as the others. Sorry this wasn't as long as the last one but if I made it any longer, I think this chapter would have been ruined. I know all of you can't wait for this story to end so it will-just as soon as I find out the answer to this question:

Should I put up an epilogue?

a) Yes, please!

b) No way! I want this to _end_ already! *scowls and throws tomatoes at the author*

*sniffs* hope you don't choose "b" 'cause it's gonna hurt my feelings. ;_;

Shadow: If you say yes, she promises that the epilogue will be short and as non-mushy as possible.

*nods*

Review please!

B: 8.24.03

E: 8.24.03


	18. Go Fish

A/N: Gomen, minna-san! I just had no inspiration to write an epilogue. However, the damned plot bunnies wouldn't leave me alone so I have this strange idea for an epilogue since the majority of you wanted one. So here I go and I apologize ahead of time if it turns out to be a piece of shit. ^^;;

/…/: thoughts

(…): A/N

__

Epilogue- Go Fish

(5 years later)

~Heaven~

Takato pulled out a deck of bright red cards and shoved them in front of Henry's nose. Henry, who was reading a book, narrowed his eyes and glared at his boyfriend. Takato widened his eyes, giving him an innocent look and opened his mouth. Before he could say anything, Henry shook his head and turned back to his book. Pouting, Takato was about to leave when an idea came into his mind.

"Heeeeenryyyyyy…" Takato whined, pouting. Henry glared, unhappy at being interrupted from his book.

"C'mooooooooooooon! You know you wanna play…" Takato continued to whine, adopting a sad-puppy dog face.

"No, I don't". Henry scowled at Takato.

"D-demon…" 

"Iie. I refuse to play strip poker again".

Takato facefaulted. ^_^'' "I want to play Go Fish!"

"…fine".

"Yay!"

"One game. Only".

"hmph Fine".

"Deal the cards, then".

Takato began shuffling the deck.

~Earth~

Five years after the Uprising, everybody had now separated. For the first couple of years after Henry and Takato's deaths, they had remained close by. Now, everyone had moved on. Rika had finally come out to her parents about everything and she and Juri were now happily living together in a small house, engaged. ^^ Mel and Ryo were engaged and living in an apartment that exuded the feeling of warmth and happiness. Kazu and Kenta were surprisingly, married. Both of them were doing well and lived in a small condominium perfect for the two of them and their friends. 

Although they had moved on with their lives, they never forgot the Uprising or their two friends. At first, everything had been somber and sad but now, things were changing, being shuffled around by the cards of fate. Although fate was shuffling their lives around, one thing never changed. They never missed the anniversary of when they all met and when Takato and Henry died. That day was special. It was filled with happiness and sadness. However, it was also filled with love and friendship that would last a thousand years and more.

Meanwhile, fate continued to shuffle the deck that contained their lives and futures.

~Heaven~

"Do you have an ace?" Takato asked, staring hopefully at Henry over his cards.

"Nope. Go fish". Henry replied, slightly smiling.

"Hmph". Takato drew out a two.

"Do you have a two?" Henry mildly asked.

"O.O Again?! This is like your fifth pair!" Takato exclaimed, handing over his two.

"Nope, this is my third. Hmmm you need to work on your memory skills!" Henry chastised, laughing. 

"Grrr…Fours?" 

"Sorry! Go Fish!"

"ARGH!"

Laughter filled the room as Takato drew yet another card from the deck.

~Earth~

"It's been five years…since…" Juri hesitantly said.

"Since the two love birds died, you mean". Rika said in her normal fashion. Juri scowled at Rika, but nodded.

"Tomorrow is the day we met". Juri quietly said.

"And the day we died". Rika finished. It was true. The day they had met had given them life. The day Henry and Takato died was the day they all died. They had just begun their new lives.

"It's been five years but every time tomorrow comes around, there's this ache in my chest. It's like someone has reached inside my chest, grabbed my heart, and twisted it. It's so painful!" 

"Juri…"

"It makes me wonder if the others feel it as well. Do you feel it?"

"…yes, yes I do. I feel it as well. There's also an emptiness that can't be filled".

"Yeah…"

"Let's prepare for tomorrow's fourth anniversary". Together, the two girls walked to their room to prepare mentally and physically for tomorrow.

~Heaven~

"…How come you're so good at this? You're not supposed to be!" Takato wailed, glaring at Henry.

"I'm not supposed to be good at this? What are you talking about? It's easy!" Henry said, looking skeptically at Takato.

/There is no such thing as "skill" in this game, Taka. /

Takato pouted and drew a card from the pile. /Yes! /

Henry yawned impatiently, waiting for his turn to come.

^________^

"…what". Henry asked, looking cautiously at Takato.

^________^ "I just found my 5th pair!" 

"So? I have 6". 

"…"

"My turn. Sevens?"

"…" -_-

"Thank you". Henry added his 8th combination to the deck. Takato was now glowering and steam was coming out of his ears. Henry noticed this and slowly backed away, dropping his cards still in his hands.

"Taka-koi, you don't want to do that…"

"…SHI-NE CARDS!" The poor playing cards were set on fire. Cautiously, Henry watched the cards burn until none was left except a pile of ashes and a hidden card.

^____________^

"…Taka-kun, we must get you some anger management help!"

^______________^

"hmm? What's this? An ace? Wonder why it wasn't burned with the rest of the cards…"

-_- "Let me see that card".

"uhhh…no".

"GIVE IT TO ME!"

*gulp* "Shit! Taka-kun…Koi? YAH! STOP CHASING ME!" Yelling, Henry ran around their spacious house, eventually running out of the door and into the no-longer-quiet neighborhood.

"SHI-NE!" Takato flew behind Henry, breathing out fire, trying to kill the card.

/What did I do to deserve this?! Oh Seraphymon! / Henry thought, tears running down his chibi face.

~Earth~

"Hey you guys!" Kazu shouted happily.

"Hey!" Juri called back, waving energetically.

Mel and Ryo ran up, waving and laughing. Although today was a somber and happy day, nobody could seem to drop the high spirits currently surrounding the group. 

As they neared the graves, the atmosphere seemed to grow even lighter. The graves' feeling seemed to be lighter than it has been for years. 

"hmmm…strange…the graves' aura is lighter and happier feeling than before…" Mel mused thoughtfully. Beside her, Ryo nodded his agreement.

"I don't know, this is just a hunch, but I think Henry and Takato are doing just fine up there in Heaven". Juri said, as she smiled happily. The others nodded, knowing better than to contradict Juri's hunches. After all, most of the time they were correct.

"Hey Henry, Takato! It's been a year, ne? I used to dread coming here, but for some odd reason, I no longer do. It's nice to be around friends and family, dead or alive. Ugh…that sounds like a wanted poster. Anyway, I'm glad you guys are happy where you are. Wait for us, okay?" Rika said, dropping flowers onto the graves. Beautiful red and white roses fluttered to the ground, decorating the lush green grass.

"Same goes for me, guys! Have you heard? Well, most likely you already knew since you always know everything, Henry, but Rika and I are engaged! We're going to marry on the day the two of us met! Oh, and our anniversary is today! So are Ryo, Mel, Kazu, and Kenta! Isn't that wonderful?!" Juri squealed happily as she bent down and put two new puppets on the graves. One was of a beautiful but comical looking dragon and the other was a beautiful yet chibi angel. Their button eyes seemed to glitter in the sun.

"…Since Juri already told you our wonderful news, we'll have to think of something up to say…uhhhh…" Ryo trailed off, thinking. Mel rolled her eyes at her clueless fiancé and shook her head.

"Well, for starters, Ryo and I aren't planning to get married anytime soon. Maybe in the future, but not now. We want to make sure our lives are finally back on track and we want to make sure we have enough money to support ourselves". Mel said, smiling happily.

"Yeah, and why don't you ever visit us? You know, like in dreams or memories? Ok, maybe not memories because we can do that ourselves but in dreams? You guys didn't forget about us already, did you?" Ryo accused, frowning at the graves. Mel whapped him upside the head and put two photographs down on the graves. One was a picture of when the two were asleep, lying in each other's arms. The other was when Henry was chasing Takato around because Takato decided it would be funny to dye Henry's hair neon pink. The others laughed when they saw the pictures, remember the times when they were taken.

"Well, Kazu and I are happily married. We both also have jobs, isn't that amazing? I'm a computer engineer and Kazu is an idiot". For that comment, Kazu kicked his husband in the shins. "Owwww…okay, so Kazu _isn't_ an idiot-but he still acts like one! Ack! No more kicking!" Kenta shouted, dodging his husband's harried blows.

"I am _not_ an idiot, thank you very much! I am, in fact, the newest rock star! Haha! And you two thought I could never do something so amazing, ne? Well, since I absolutely –know- you guys really want to hear my songs, here is my CD!" Kazu gloated, as he put a CD album on the graves.

~Heaven~

"…thanks Kazu, I really wanted to hear your singing". Henry said looking apprehensively at the CD now on their table. Takato agreed, looking fearfully at the menacing album. Currently, it was 7:59am, one minute until 8.

~Earth~

"Hey, it's almost 8! All of us have work!" Rika cried, as she checked her watch. The others panicked and hastily saying their good byes, rushed away. Before they got to far, however, they stopped. Confusion filled their faces as they felt something or someone behind them.

The graves were glowing with an ethereal light and suddenly, Kazu's CD was sent straight towards him, successfully hitting him square on the forehead.

@_@ "…ungh…" moaned Kazu, the world spinning around him. The others stared in disbelief as the glow disappeared but began to laugh as the heard a trail of musical laughter coming from all around them.

*sigh* "Henry, Takato, you guys should really grow up! It's not nice to do something like that!" Juri reprimanded, failing to hold her giggles back.

Rika laughed and laughed before saying, "Yeah, but it was sure hella funny! Haha! So I'm not the only one who hates your singing, ne?" 

"Oh shuddup! There are millions of other people who like my singing!" Kazu retorted, glowering.

"Kazu, let's just go before Henry and Takato decide to throw more things at you". Kenta said, laughing. Together, the six friends walked away laughing.

~Heaven~

"It's 8 o'clock! Why, time flies by, ne? Huh? What's this?" Takato bent down and picked up what seemed like a normal playing card from the ground. Walking over, Henry hugged Takato from behind and somehow managed to rest his head on Takato's shoulder, also looking at the card.

"It's an eight of hearts…but there's something different about that card…" Henry trailed off, looking confused.

Upon closer inspection, Takato noticed something that had skipped his attention and pointed it out to Henry. "Look, hun! Inside the hearts!"

Frowning, Henry leant closer to the cards. His eyes widened and a gasp escaped his lips as he realized what Takato was pointing out. Inside each of the small red hearts were pictures of their friends, including themselves. 

"I wonder if the others have one…" Takato mused. Henry shrugged, still staring at the card but with a faint smile on his face.

~Earth~

The others looked on in surprise as a eight of hearts suddenly appeared in their hands. It was the exact same card Henry and Takato received.

Owari!

A/N: Yep, it's finally ended! ^^ Thank you so much for all your reviews! Special thanks go to Mel for helping me with my story _and_ supplying someone for Ryo! ^_^ Thank you sooo much! Also, special thanks go to all my reviewers! Since this is before school and I have to leave in like, 5 minutes, I won't list out all my reviewers. Thank you sooo much for reading! Reviews would be appreciated and wanted!

Shadow: Thanks for reading the fic and reviewing as well from me. Some new fics are being planned. One for Henrika, a Digimon well, Henrika fic. And another for Gwing, a yaoi DNAngel fic. Stay tuned for those! …that is if Midnight can find time to write instead of trying to fit in time anytime possible…

Review!

E: 9.24.03 


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